December
by FanFicFan909
Summary: The month of celebrations
1. Multichapter - 1st day

**1****st**** December 2013 Sunday**

**Day 335**

**30 days to go!**

**The last segment of my DHAE saga; and I'm so excited to reach it. First up, a main-multi of the classic Christmas song '12 days of Christmas'. These ones may or may not involve the main story, it depends which characters speak. I don't think this first one does. **

**The last one, they were at the habitat, and for that song, I may have to learn how to play it on the piano! Hope everyone has a great start to their new season (jealous of those entering winter). **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show, but it's on the top of my Christmas wish list. **

* * *

_On the first day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

"Ok guys, to get this bug we'll need to get in to an aerial position above him," Dex began to instruct to his crew. "There is a sensitive area on its back that, when struck, will render it paralysed. Now-"

The leader turned around to face everyone, feeling his mouth turn in to a frown at the sight of the damaged yellow hovercraft and Zap cradling his ribs. "Since out usual methods of flight appear to have been…compromised, Tung, you'll have to bounce up to a high position and fire."

"No problem, dude," the tracker saluted, before glancing up himself.

The insect in front of them was ginormous, and only a few 'Tung-hops' away. It was billowing loudly for its lost mate, but as the rest of the team knew that its other half was already in their cargo haul, they had to try and persuade the insect in to their grasp. The frog boy paled at the sight.

"How do I steady myself in a bounce? I have to accurately hit a target, right?"

"My suggestion is to land in those trees just to the left of him," the leader pointed in the direction of a large forest. "Steady yourself in one of those and you should have a clean shot. The patterns on their backs make it simple to find the sensitive area, unfortunately for their predators too, so aim for the large, black, centre circle."

He nodded to the clone, who handed over the weapon in her hands. "Be careful with that; it's still a prototype."

Tung swallowed the lump in his throat. "No worries then, huh," he muttered, before squatting in preparation for his jump. The tracker lifted himself in to the air with a large bound, covering a good distance between their safe area and the dangerous zone of the insect. He leapt again, this time landing right next to the bug.

"Tree, a tree," whispered the tracker as his beady eyes looked through the forest for a sturdy branch. His eyes spied a particularly large one, and with another shake of his behind, bounced up in to the large fern tree and steadied himself. Tung peered through the green foliage to look down upon the bug, which had now started to calm down. The large black circle stared back at him like a giant eye.

"Too easy," the frog steadied the weapon in his hand, but no matter how perfect the aim was, the insect was still moving. If only he could get to a better spot.

Tung stepped forward on the branch, wincing as it sagged under his weight. He stepped forward again, removing a few leaves from his sight as he emerged. The bug looked all the more clearer, but its movement still made it difficult to fire a good shot.

"Come on, come on," the words repeated on his mind and his lips, but seeing as he was so distracted by the size of the bug, Tung forgot about his footing. The tracker slipped as the branch finally gave way, springing back in to place once the frog boy had fallen off. His cries followed him as he fell downwards, and jolted to a sudden stop. He was left panting, and wondering why he was now facing the ground at an incredible distance without falling. Tung craned his head to look behind him, and found a particularly strong branch had woven its way between his belt, snagging himself within the trees hold.

The tracker glanced back down to his weapon, smiling at the now proximity and perfectly clear range of the insect. He steadied himself, pointed the gun and fired the shot. The bug let out a bloodcurdling scream before dropping on its shaking legs, slowly closing its eyes in to a slumber. His wristcom flicked open, and the smiling tracker appeared on Dex's wristcom.

"Got it, dude," he declared proudly, unable to contain his grin. Dex smiled back in return.

"Awesome work, we'll be there shortly."

The remainder of the group moved forward; some analysing the bug while others craned their heads to see Tung.

"Good work, mate," the leader said proudly, following Zap's gaze up in the tree. Tung saluted, before awkwardly clearing his throat.

"Thanks, uh, can someone help me down? I'm…I'm kind of stuck."

Zap chuckled, but stopped as he grabbed his side in pain once again. He looked over to Dex, hardly letting his emotion stop him from saying anything about Tung's position right now.

"Nah, he looks pretty good up there."

* * *

**R&R! Welcome to the month of Celebrations!**


	2. Multichapter - 2nd day

**2****nd**** December 2013 Monday**

**Day 336**

**29 days to go!**

**I can't believe I've started my last story, it doesn't seem real. Definitely going to be weird next year. Thank you to all who favourited (the proper thank you will come as you all know). **

**You know what, I'll be in the chatroom all tomorrow, I promise, so if anyone wants to talk then we'll see if the chatroom works. (I don't know how to use DeviantArt!)**

**Disclaimer: All I want for Christmas is to own the show. **

* * *

_On the second day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Two praying mantas, _

_And a frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

"Remind me again why I'm always the one being chased by the bugs?" the pilot shouted in to his wristcom. He was met with the giggle from Jenny.

"Because you're the fast guy," she said, her smile filling the entire screen. "Plus, I already managed to catch my praying mantis."

He rolled his eyes at her smugness. "Yeah, well, I keep this up and I'm going to be the exhausted guy," his ears pricked at the sound of her laughter. Personally, he didn't think it was that funny.

"Can you just leave the enclosure open while I bring him round," he jumped up quickly, avoiding the laser beams firing out of the bug's eyes. "This one is feisty."

"No problem," she signed off, leaving him flying strategically between the lasers shooting out from the bug.

_Why do they have lasers coming out of their eyes?_

* * *

Jenny waited patiently for Zap, catching her gaze in the reflection of the pavilion glass. Absentmindedly, the engineer began placing stray pieces of hair back in to place as she made herself look more representable. Her hands fell to her sides.

"_Cut it out!"_ the voice in her head screamed to her._ "You're co-workers! You've got to stop acting like a giggling school girl whenever you speak to Zap."_

The pilot came zooming around the corner on foot, saluting casually with a smile as he moved closer to her.

"Oh hey, you're here."

"_Nice job,"_ Jenny's thoughts echoed as she internally cursed herself. Zap sped past, leading the giant praying mantis straight in to the pavilion where the other one was. The clone shut herself in to the room with the pilot, both standing to admire the two insects brought together at last.

"Well, they look happy," Zap mused, placing his hands on his hips as he admired them. He glanced sideway to Jenny, clearing his throat awkwardly. "Good job for capturing your insect first."

"Please, I never could have done it without your help," she spoke as though Zap was not the person she was addressing. "You're too awesome."

He furrowed his brow. "What?"

Jenny's eyes widened once the words processed in her mind. Though Zap heard what she had said, he couldn't help but admire the blush spreading on the clone's cheeks.

"Oh, never mind," she covered herself, crossing her arms to stare back at the bugs.

Zap followed her gaze to the bugs, watching the new pair nuzzle each other. A thought struck him, and with another risky glance to his side, quickly moved like a flash of lightning as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

Jenny stared forward, dumfounded and unsure at where to look. She could feel Zap's gaze burn her cheek, and in result, a sly grin formed quickly on her lips. He returned his stare to the bugs; a feeling of absolute pride filling his chest at her reaction.

"They're a cute match," Jenny smiled, finding any excuse to talk to him. She felt his toned arm drape itself over her shoulders, and for once, the girl finally relaxed, leaning closer to his torso.

"Yeah, we are."

* * *

**Say cheese! Not sure if those bugs in "There's no I in team" episode were praying mantas, but they sure did look like them. Perhaps these bugs are common ancestors. R&R! **


	3. Multichapter - 3rd day

**3****rd**** December 2013 Tuesday**

**Day 337**

**28 days to go!**

**I still don't know whether that chatroom is working because I was in it all day and no one came in (either that or you guys weren't bothered/too busy but it's cool…it's…it's cool).**

**DragonFlyer9, thank you for remembering the name! I don't think I had that episode, but should have used it as an excuse to watch some today. **

**Disclaimer: I wish for the ownership, oh please!**

* * *

_On the third day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_And a frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

Tung kept his footing on the giant whale stryder he was standing on, holding out his arms as he balanced himself like a surfer. Winston and Max were standing in front of him, shouting and whooping in excitement.

"Careful dudes, I'll fall off if you keep bouncing," the tracker warned, wobbling dangerously with his outstretched arms. The two boys immediately stopped, but the smiles on their faces were still a wide as ever. Normally it was Dex who would guide the kids around the habitat and teach them the ways, but "Uncle Tung" had his methods of pulling the children aside and enjoying their own adventures, many of which involved the currently snowing ice pavilion.

Which is why Dex was positioned taking care of Sammy's cold instead of keeping an eye on the other children.

"Now jump higher, jump higher," their carer dared them, completely disregarding his occupational health and safety training that he had underwent six times. The children jumped loudly with cheers, though not as high as Tung. The frog boy leapt in to the air just as the stryder flicked its tail, sending the frog boy straight in to the glass boundary.

It was here that he saw Bream standing outside, arms crossed firmly across her chest and subtly shaking her head. The tracker peeled himself off the glass, leaving a very noticeable grey imprint.

"Uh oh," he spoke aloud, before quickly turning around and pushing off the glass in order to get the maximum force needed to return to the bug. He landed with an ungraceful thud, shaking the stryder below and creating an erupting laugh from Junior and Max.

"That was awesome. Do it again," mused the elder of the two, both wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Tung dropped his head with guilt. He hated being the bad guy.

"Sorry dudes, but we got to land now," he said, kneeling down to their height. The children's bottom lips dropped immediately; eyes widening in a begging manner to stay. Although he would have caved at the sight, Tung couldn't help but see the image of Bream standing near the entrance.

"Actually, we're going to go and see Bream now," the frog boy glanced awkwardly to Winston. "Would you mind, uh, landing this thing?"

The whale styder landed with grace on to the soft snow, due to the excellent guiding of the young Hamilton boy. As soon as it had touched down, Tung bounded off the edge and raced for the door, flinging it open to address her.

"Hey Bream, what are you doing here?" he tried to act nonchalant, but no matter what, he always sounded a little…flabbergasted whenever he spoke to her. She merely shrugged, her arms still crossed.

"I thought we were going to hang out this afternoon," she said softly. A stunned expression couldn't cross the tracker's face sooner, and as quickly as he could, the door closed behind him.

"Sure, let's get going," he suavely spoke, beginning to strut down the passageway. He was stopped once he realised that the girl was not joining them.

"Um, Tung?" she asked, drawing his attention back to her. She gestured to the glass door, where a shivering Max and Winston were tapping and politely asking to be let out. "Aren't you going to let them out?"

He winced loudly, racing forward to let them out. As soon as the boys sprinted out of the cold room, Tung turned to Bream. "Please don't tell Dex."

"Where to now, Uncle Tung?" Max asked with hopeful eyes. The tracker rubbed the back of his neck. He _really_ hated being the bad guy.

"I guess you guys can join us."

"What are those?" Winston asked, pointing a pressed finger on to the glass. Tung's lips curved in to a bright smile as he moved towards the water-filled tank.

"Those are Imperial Water Scorpions," he explained proudly, as though it was he who had caught them single-handedly. Everyone watched on as a group of three swam in synchronisation of a figure eight. Jumping at the touch, Tung felt Bream's hand gently rest on his arm.

"You know, I never properly thanked you for that," she said through a smile. Tung flushed a beet red, remembering the kiss she had given him on the pier.

"Oh, I think you thanked me enough for it," he said in what he'd hoped was a casual response. He was caught off guard, as the shy girl turned to face him, bringing his lips closer to hers.

Tung's face was a darker shade then beet red, no, it had turned a vibrant purple in embarrassment; flushing at what had just happened. Winston and Max had watched on in shock, their mouths ajar at the scene.

He cleared his throat, hoping that the subtle blush on Bream's face was mirroring his. "Y-you're welcome."

He turned to the children, who instinctively had their hands held up for high fives. With a smug grin, Tung slapped his hands on to theirs, bashfully looking down at the ground.

"Way to go, man," Max cheered, patting Tung's arm as the tracker answered Winston's high five.

Just as the frog boy was about to continue walking, with a very new cool strut I might add, he was tripped and fell chin first on to the freshly shined floor. He glanced down to his feet, seeing the all too familiar image of Max's shoe sticking out at the perfect angle.

"And now normality is restored," the child whispered to Junior, who both sniggered at the sight.

Tung let his chin return to the ground, staring bashfully up at a giggling Bream. "You're too much like your dad."

* * *

**R&R!**


	4. Multichapter - 4th day

**4****th**** December 2013 Wednesday**

**Day 338**

**27 days to go!**

**It's so weird opening a word folder that used to have so many months in it, now only holds December. On the plus side, it makes it easier to find. **

**Disclaimer: Come on Santa. You know…you know...**

* * *

_On the fourth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_And a frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

Dex pushed his way through the thick overgrowth of the forest, searching for his new insect. The three suns bearing down on the planet had just about taken their tolls, and wiping the sweat off his forehead once again, he hid within the shade of the trees.

"Crikey, I should've bought more sunscreen," he whispered to himself, unscrewing the lid of his canteen and taking a generous swig. He lowered the container from his face, his eyes blinking out the sweat as they came in to focus again.

"Now, where are you?" he asked rhetorically with a smile, flicking his wristcom tracker open. The screen portrayed the movement of three other circles fanning outwards; no doubt his other team members. He smiled when the tracker registered a new creature, not a few steps away from his position. With quiet tip-toes, Dex pushed through the forest, smirking wide at the sight of a giant acid snail.

He licked his lips in anticipation of the excitement, slowly retrieving the length of rope from his holster.

"It's all right, mate," he calmed, stepping forward with protective hands as the creature spied him. "This isn't going to hurt a bit."

The snail started to scatter in the opposite direction, leaving a sticky trail of acid slime behind it. Dex allowed his hands to drop to his sides. Of course this insect would be slow, it's a snail.

The leader casually lengthened the rope, tying the lasso lazily before throwing it over the slowly moving bug. Luckily it hadn't moved that far. The rope slipped around its neck easily, and with one quick pull, Dex had tightened his new reigns and had found a comfortable sitting position on its back.

"Yip yip!" he shouted, kicking his legs on the acid snail's sides. It started to move, albeit slowly, towards the ship.

* * *

"I'll race you back to the ship?" Zap asked, resting on his back on the snail. His hands were behind his head as he smirked at the bored Jenny, the latter seated so perfectly for saddle riding.

"No thanks, it's hardly racing on something that's barely moving," she said in complaint, just as Tung joined them on Zap's side.

"Hey dude, I'll race you back to the ship if you want?" he said with an excited bounce on the shell, if, only momentarily, causing his snail to move a little ahead of Zap's. The pilot noticed this and, delivering a quick disappointed glance to the clone, gave a challenging glance to the tracker.

"You're on," he said, kicking his own snail and pushing it forward. Dex had just joined the rest of his crew, smiling as everyone rode their prize. Jenny shook her head casually to her boss, before rapidly typing on her wristcom.

"You guys can do whatever you want; I'm going to recalibrate the communicators."

Although the race was incredibly slow, that didn't stop the racers from screaming at the top of their lungs in the hopes that it would drive their acid snails faster. It didn't matter if anyone was racing, because all four snails had slowly made their way to the ship thanks to the guidance of their riders, at exactly the same time and leaving long acid trails behind them.

"Well, that was exciting," Jenny said dryly, hoping off the snail. Zap and Tung joined her, both facing each other in a heated argument.

"I won!"

"No, I won!"

"No, I won!"

"Race you in to the ship?" Zap suggested suddenly, though he was already sprinting in to their craft. Tung bounced quickly, shouting something in retaliation as he tried to catch up.

"Ugh, I don't get it," Jenny placed her hands on her hips in an angry manner. "What is with guys and competing all the time?"

Her words fell on deaf ears as Dex raced past her, pulling his snail behind him. She sighed, turning around to spy three acid snails slowly moving away from the ship.

"Boys are so annoying!"

* * *

**R&R! I love these chapters because I don't have to think of a name. **


	5. Multichapter - 5th day

**5****th**** December 201****3 Thursday**

**Day 339**

**26 days to go!**

**I seriously can't think of anything to put down in these chapters, let's hope that doesn't happen for the next 26 days. That explains why these chapters are so short. **

**Disclaimer: The Grinch stole my rights!**

* * *

_On the fifth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_And a frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

"Dex, I'm a little scared," Tung cowered in his boots as he followed his leader. Dex turned his head around with a smirk, aiming his flashlight down the spiralling dark crevasse of the cave.

"Come on, don't wuss out," Zap shouted in a whisper, edging Tung forward with his rifle behind the tracker. Tung leapt violently, before turning to glare at the pilot. From the tail, Jenny glanced away to stifle a laugh, but as soon as Zap heard her, she knocked him lightly in the elbow to prevent him from gloating.

"Everything's all right, Tung. We're not venturing in to unknown territory," his tone sounded slightly bitter at the thought. "Besides, if we keep very quiet, these insects shouldn't be disturbed and hence, not a threat. So everyone, keep your mouths shut and your heads down."

"Positive guidance, that's always the way to go, isn't it Dex?" Jenny droned sarcastically. She continued to walk forward, accidentally smacking in to the rest of the group who had all stopped at the leader's signal.

"Shush," he called in a harsh whisper, lowering his hand. In the distance, the slow gurgling of slime being smeared on to rock. A loud throat rumble shook the cave, releasing loose rock to fall from above.

"You didn't exactly say these things could be a threat to us without disturbing them," snapped the bug boy in a sour voice. He raised an eyebrow as the leader snorted lightly in response.

"That's the risk with every mission. Now come one guys, stick to the shadows at the side of the cave."

Everyone followed suit, that is, everyone except Tung. Using his large, red goggles, the tracker spied a strong scented object splayed out in the open of the cave. Glancing back, he shrugged, deciding to check it out.

He stepped carefully around the fallen rocks, making sure to avoid anything that could trigger and upset these creatures. He made it to the object, bending down to pick it up until Dex shouted from the sidelines.

"Tung look out!"

"What?" but as soon as he flicked his head up, he was met with the image of a giant, gross worm growling hungrily, it's mouth a large circle lined entirely with sharp, jagged teeth.

"Easy, stay very still," Dex whispered from the sidelines, holding his hands up in defence. Tung merely stared up in fear, cowering as the bug leaned closer to the tracker. "You don't have to-"

As if by slow motion, the trigger to Dex's gun was released, sending a wire of net towards the worm. It screamed in retaliation, swaying from side to side as a result from the attack. Tung felt his knees knocking together as the bug swung down near him, swiftly bringing its mouth to a close around him.

"Tung!" the whole team shouted, emerging from their hiding places to help their member. Jenny stood behind a rock, aiming her gun towards the insect and firing below its mouth. Everyone could see the tracker standing on the tongue of the bug, shouting for assistance from what looked like his own little cave.

"We've drawn its attention to us," Dex pointed out the obvious, sending Zap up in to the air. "Try and get to its neck and pull backwards. You're going to have to make this bug throw Tung up."

With a mixture of disgust and amusement, Zap soared in to the air and behind the insect, kicking it directly in the back of the mouth. It lurched forward, slowly bringing Tung, who was holding on to a tooth, back down to the ground.

Dex caught him immediately, pulling him to the side away from the bug as Zap fired another net, this time properly capturing it.

"Are you ok?" the leader asked the tracker, now joined by the engineer. Tung sat up wearily, shaking his head quickly.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said distractedly, turning around to his side. He pulled up his shirt on the side, revealing five round yellow circles underneath his green skin. "I think it got a few bites in though."

* * *

**Yeah, I think this one got better by the end. I bet Dex would be wanting to study Tung now! R&R!**


	6. Multichapter - 6th day

**6****th**** December 2013 Friday**

**Day 340**

**25 days to go! Hope you've all had a piece of advent calendar chocolate, unless you're part of a large family or, like me, haven't bought your chocolate calendar yet. **

**Disclaimer: What's behind advent calendar widow number 6?...not the rights, that's for sure. **

* * *

_On the sixth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

The top of the building held the best view of Metro City. At least it did, for a hero. The bug boy stood at the peak of the centre building, staring down more than seventy storeys to the city roads below. Without flinching, he watched as six giant alien ants began scaling the same building he was standing on, moving quickly in pursuit of Zap.

He pulled the gun out of his holster with lightning speed, aiming the weapon downwards. To any amateur shooter, they would require the entire clip to hit at least one of these scattering creatures with a net. To an intermediate shooter, they would probably hit one net to one ant, and for a professional, if they were lucky, could cover all ants in two nets.

But not for him.

He flew in the air, aimed the gun perfectly and fired. The wire shot out of the pistol like a sheet of silk, falling as snow as it wrapped around the ants. They fell, like dominos, down the building, each becoming entrapped in the netting as the group descended further and further. Finally, they reached the ground; trapped but safe, and harmless to all citizens around.

The pilot smirked as he blew across the gun, spinning it around his finger before returning it to his belt.

"Piece of cake."

"That was so incredible," a breathy voice whispered from behind him. He turned around slowly, as though already knowing who was there. Standing in the centre of the roof was the most beautiful being he had ever seen, her pink dress dancing playfully in the wind. She strode towards him, and for once, the hero caught his breath in his throat.

"You are so brave," she whispered to him, batting her eyelashes. He looked away, hiding his smirk to address her.

"All part of the job," he sniffed, sounding heroic. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, resting her head on his shoulder as they both admired the setting sun.

"I love an entomologist," her voice tickled his ear, yet he still held his hero stance.

"I know," he replied, as though it were blatantly obvious. "But my work can make me travel anywhere. It would be too painful for us-"

"That only makes me want you more," she demanded, firmly grabbing his collar and pulling the pilot o face her. Jenny cocked an eyebrow as Zap smiled, rolling his eyes as he thought. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gently lowering her in to a dip. He pouted his lips, in preparation for the kiss…

…until he was rudely awoken by his boss.

"Zap!" he shouted once again, throwing a bag in his direction. It landed in the pilot's chest, just as he was groggily coming back to reality. "Can you please load up the ship?"

He groaned as he stood, holding the pack to his chest. He wasn't the hero entomologist, at least, not by himself.

"Oh, suck it up," Jenny said cheekily, walking up to him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled as she walked away, flicking her head back to wink at him.

At least he had one title.

* * *

**R&R! **


	7. Multichapter - 7th day

**7****th**** December 2013 Saturday**

**Day 341**

**24 days to go!**

**I just have to make these short because, despite the fact that I have this song already planned out (since September), I have no idea what to put for these little linking stories.**

**Thank you DragonFlyer9 for your picture for December. We only need to find entrants for all the months in between now. **

**Disclaimer: I can't think of another Christmas one; Easter bunny? Tooth fairy? …Jack?**

* * *

_On the seventh day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Seven spiders crawling, _

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

The entire crew stood cached within the green foliage of the forest pavilion. Dex, Jane, Winston and even little Sammy stood waiting at the edge of the tree line; the parents holding up binoculars to their eyes while the children craned their necks to get a better look.

Zap was resting his back against a tree, his arms crossed tightly over his chest as though he was a little child again. He had done this before, and it wasn't enjoyable. The last time, Dex had pulled him in to the Snow pavilion in order to watch the horns slugs complete their migrating journey. And it was a long and dull task at that.

This time, everyone had been called for another species that was to migrate through the forest in search for more dark and moist regions within their habitat. Tung stood at the side with Bream, showing off his impressive bull whip tongue as he managed to catch a few tiny scurrying insects off a nearby tree. Jenny was resting her back against a tree beside Zap's, with Max sitting on her knees and facing her.

"How much longer?" the pilot complained, pulling the leaves off a small twig in his hand. He was immediately shushed by the Hamilton's. Not just Dex, but the entire family, including Sammy.

"The anticipation of their journey is the best part," Dex waved his hand behind him in the direction of the bug boy, but kept his eyes glued to the binoculars. Zap merely rolled his eyes.

"Oh, shush, here they come," Jane said with the greatest excitement in her tone. The two Hamilton children gasped with anticipation, standing on all fours on their parents' backs. The ground below them rumbled; small stones skipping loosely on the ground as something large came closer and closer. Everyone stood up and began to move away from the tree line…

…except Tung.

"Watch out!" Dex shouted as the giant insects pushed through the trees, crawling friskily along the ground. Giant black spiders, approximately seven in total, forced their way past the trees and clambered loudly through the team.

"What's the matter?" Tung asked a distracted Bream, whose eyes had widened at the sight of the migration. The Hamilton and Monogan family were restricted to the other side of the herd. As one particular spider moved past, his large, hairy leg caught the sticky hand of the tracker, pulling him along carelessly as Tung shouted in surprise.

Dex stared after the group, watching as Tung was thrown off a few ways down in to a small swamp.

"That was a few more than I expected."

* * *

**I reckon this sums up the team pretty well. R&R!**


	8. Multichapter - 8th day

**8****th**** December 2013 Sunday**

**Day 342**

**23 days to go!**

**Ok, so the chatroom does work (thank you DragonFlyer9) so when you guys want to talk next year about this stupidly brilliant resolution (I'm still on the fence about it), I'll be there. Have to organise times to talk though. **

**Disclaimer: These will be my dying words. **

* * *

_On the eighth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Eight beetles charging, _

_Seven spiders crawling, _

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying manta, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

"It's amazing how many sightings of rhino beetles there have been on Earth," Dex informed his crew of Tung, Zap and Jenny. "We haven't seen one of these since finding Jenny 8."

Zap rolled his eyes with a smirk, bringing his hands behind his head as he walked. "Man, she was awesome."

The small growl emitted from the team's engineer went unnoticed as Tung voiced his thoughts.

"So, will we need gas masks for this mission?" he sounded on edge as the tracker asked the question. Dex didn't turn his head to address him.

"Of course we will. There should be some stored in the ship," the leader's footsteps began to slow at the nervous cough of Tung.

"Yeah, that…that's going to be a bit of a problem."

"And why is that?" Jenny asked quizzically, her tone still sounding agitated from the pilot's previous comment. Tung's main focus moved to his hands, nervously fiddling with each other.

"I may have been testing them on the rhino beetle we have back home," he said, suddenly feeling all eyes on him. "I might have forgotten to return them to the ship, too."

Dex groaned audibly, stopping in his tracks. "Well, we have to think of a new plan now."

"I think it's a bit late, Dex," Zap said quickly, his eyes wide and staring past their leader. Dex turned around slowly too, spying a small herd of the beetles.

"All right team, looks like we're going in without a plan," he said, smiling broadly as he moved closer to the bugs. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"Oh sure, because that's going to have a good outcome, isn't it?" she said rhetorically, following the crowd.

Dex parted a plant in front of him, spying the small group of about three rhino beetles grazing together.

"Ok, it seems like this is a small family group; let's go for the larger of them, or the parents, instead of the children. The parent's will get defensive if we try to obtain their children."

"I'm feeling less and less confident about this mission," the pilot said in a bored manner, hardly trying to display any interest whatsoever. Dex shot him a look.

"Just enter from above. Tung, take that side and Jenny, move in that direction. I'll come from this end. Everybody ready?" the group fanned out immediately, if only to get this mission over and done with.

Zap flew ahead, and almost immediately furrowed his brow from his aerial position.

"Hey Dex," he radioed in to his leader. "There seems to be some kind of shield blocking them."

"Really?" he replied, the interest and excitement filling his voice. Dex took a weary step forward, squishing the fresh grass below him. When he glanced downwards, he noticed a flattened square fence of grass around the bugs, as though a giant, invisible fence was shielding them. It didn't stay invisible for long, for as soon as Zap landed on the top of the frame, it began to turn an icy blue.

"What is it?" Jenny questioned, walking forward and holding out her hand. Through her glove, the container felt as cold as ice.

"It seems like…an ice prism…just appeared around them," Dex said, wonderstruck.

"Yeh…it's ice," Tung said, though not coherently. The leader and the engineer looked around the ice box to spy the tracker's tongue stuck to the frame. Zap bounced on it, tapping his foot on the ice.

"It's weird, kind of like it appeared from nowhere," Jenny's eyes widened as the words left the pilot's mouth.

_Oh no._

Rocks from around them began to form another fence, this time entrapping the team. Dex flipped his wristcom open, messaging Zap while he rounded up Jenny and Tung.

"Zap, can you fly us out of here?" he asked, but his voice was cut off as the ice box melted in front of them, catching them within the hold of the rhino beetles. They turned to the team, unaffected by what was going on, and huddled together. Zap flew down to join his team, unable to see where the rock fence ended.

Everyone's attention turned to the voice from the beetles, where a person emerged from the back of the larger bug. She smiled brightly at the clone. "Hi Jenny!"

"Of course," the clone complained, seeing her sister on the back of the bug. "I knew it was you when the ice formed from nowhere."

"Whoa, which sister is this one?" Zap asked, his eagerness in his voice setting Jenny's teeth on edge. A slide of ice formed from the back of the beetle, and the new Jenny skated down it gracefully.

"I'm Jenny 2; controller of elements. And you guys were interrupting my bug's eating session," she said in an accusing tone, juggling a small flame of fire within her hand. She snuffed it out by closing her fist, smirking at the stunned expressions. "But…seeing as you do have my little sister all safe and sound-" she glanced back to the rhino beetles. "-so to speak, I guess you're not a threat."

The rocks lowered themselves back to the ground following Jenny 2's gestures, releasing the crew from their prison.

"Come on, I'll show you the tour."

A large field held eight rhino beetles, some playfully charging at each other and others grazing. Dex smiled at the sight, shaking the hand of the new clone.

"You've done well to conserve the species," he congratulated, patting her on the shoulder.

She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "It's been hard, but I think they're finally starting to develop as a society…what?" she asked the frog boy staring at her.

"You control elements?" he asked, bouncing on his toes in excitement. "What can you do?"

She balled her hand in to a fist, and water began to trickle out of her hand. From far away, Zap smirked in their direction.

"Wow, she's amazing," he mused, but turned his head at the loud sigh from the clone. Jenny pouted her lips, staring angrily at the ground.

"Oh, not this again," he said with a sigh, walking closer to her. Jenny's eyes widened at his rudeness.

"Um, yes this again. I don't understand your fascination with other people," she said, narrowing her eyes to him. "Is it so hard to believe that people around you could be amazing too?"

"I told you, she's not you," he began, his determined voice catching the attention of everyone. "She's not you, Jenny 8's not you, only you are you, and I love you for you."

All eyes widened at his words, including the pilot's.

"Maybe we should all…look over here," Dex instructed Jenny 2 and Tung, facing them towards the herd to give the others some privacy.

Zap rubbed the back of his neck, blushing fiercely away. "Look-I…I"

"You're amazing," Jenny said quickly, before standing up and pulling him close to her. It was only after they parted that they realised everyone was staring at them again, each face coupled with a sly grin.

Dex glanced between his smiling co-workers and the frolicking herd. "And peace was restored."

* * *

**R&R!**


	9. Multichapter - 9th day

**9****th**** December 2013 Monday**

**Day 343**

**22 days to go!**

**Nothing like decorating a Christmas tree with your family. The end of the year is nigh. **

**Disclaimer: Next resolution; run March Entertainment for a year. **

* * *

_On the ninth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Nine hopplers hopping, _

_Eight beetles charging, _

_Seven spiders crawling, _

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

Zap lead the three young children of the habitat down the shiny corridors of the pavilion.

"Ok, don't get me wrong, but being placed on babysitter duty is not what I had in mind today," he informed them with a dry tone. "Because, having to look after not one, or two, but three kids inside a huge habitat is torturous compared to some of the mundane missions Dex puts us on. I was supposed to feed the Hoppler bugs this morning but you all won't be allowed in the enclosure."

"Why not?" Winston piped up, raising his hand in the air. "Dad always lets us in to the pavilions."

"Yeah, but these things can be tricky. I don't want to have to run around like crazy trying to catch you guys," he said simply, before coming to a halt in front of one of the enclosures. Inside were large, black round shell creatures, nibbling playfully at each other while smaller critters, about no bigger than a dinner plate, hopped around their parents' legs.

"These guys are known for their hopping," Zap said through a groan as he picked up the feed bag. He began depositing the food, rolling his eyes with a chuckle. "But of course, I'm not Dex so I don't need to explain anything to you guys while I do this. Tell you what, I learnt the best while watching Dex and the bugs, so just observe and follow them and you should know what they're like."

The three children, who remained at the open door, all shared a glance at his words. While Zap was still preoccupied, he had no idea that a few baby Hopplers had moved towards the open escape, jumping in a line out of the exit.

Winston watched them go bouncing out of the door and down the clean corridor. He nudged his sister lightly. "Well, he said follow them," he said, bending down to a squatting form before bouncing in the line. Max joined, and then Sammy, until a long line of nine Hopplers and three children were springing down the hall.

"So, where do you guys want to go next?" Zap clapped his hands together after finishing his work. He turned around, his heart sinking at the sight of the open door and the missing children.

"Oh no."

* * *

He raced in to the kitchen, hoping that at least they had run in to Tung and he had bought him there. Who he saw, however, was one of the people he did not want to see.

"Jenny?" he shouted in a breathy voice. The clone turned to him, smiling sweetly in return.

"Hey, you finished feeding the Hopplers?"

"Uh, yeah, yeah," she raised an eyebrow at how his head kept poking out of the door, flicking left and right in search of something. "Listen, have you seen Max anywhere?"

Jenny pouted her lips in thought. "No, but I can tell you who's on babysitting duty-" he slapped her wristcom screen down just as she opened it.

"Oh, not necessary," the sweat forming on his forehead caught the engineer's attention.

"What's wrong?" her voice sounded bored, awaiting the news he was about to deliver. Zap swallowed loudly.

"Nothing, just…nothing," his voice sounded unusually high. "But, now that you mention it, I may have lost the kids."

Her hand tightened around her cup, eyes widened in synchronisation. "You what?"

"Please don't get mad," he said helplessly while watching her eyes narrowing to him. "But, they…might be with some missing bugs too."

Zap straightened when Jenny dropped her head, shaking it with a laugh. "You know what's really funny?" she said, causing the bug boy to shake his head sceptically. "Dex really is going to kill you."

"I know," he headed to the door. "Just please help me find them?"

"Fine," she sighed, placing her cup back down. "But you have to take care of them next time I'm on babysitting duty." Zap sighed loudly in response.

"Fine."

* * *

"I can't seem to locate them on the tracker," the clone said with disappointment, smacking her com with her hand. The pilot had his hands shoved in to his pockets, smiling at the pavilions as he strolled.

"Hey, we haven't really had any time together since Max came along, have we?" he asked, obviously enjoying their walk. Jenny stopped in her tracks.

"Don't tell me you actually know where the kids are and you're just doing this to spend time with me," she said, groaning at his smile. "You have?"

"No, no, I really lost them," he confessed, continuing to flick his head everywhere in search like a meerkat. "But seriously, we should do more stuff."

"Find these kids first, then we'll talk," the engineer said, practically no playfulness found in her voice. Zap continued to walk, and was only stopped when Jenny's hand landed on his chest. He looked to her, then followed her gaze down to the floor.

A large round infant Hoppler stared up at the sole of Zap's shoe, before quickly bounding off in the other direction. It was followed by about eight more of its species before finally, as though playing a strange game of 'leap-frog', the three children crossed paths with the young couple.

"Hey mum," Max greeted as Zap scooped him up in to his arms. Jenny picked up Sammy and placed a comforting hand on Junior's head.

"Kids, where have you been?" she asked in a shrill voice, looking them over for any abnormalities. "You guys have had us worried, and I'm very disappointed that you disobeyed your dad and left."

Max furrowed his brow. "But dad said we had to observe and follow the bugs, so we did."

Jenny exclaimed in understanding, catching Zap 's nervous look of guilt. She leaned closer to him, making sure the whisper was only heard in his ear. "And now, I'm going to kill you."

* * *

**R&R! **


	10. Multichapter - 10th day

**10****th**** December 2013 Tuesday**

**Day 344**

**21 days to go!**

**The song flows so much better once we reach the twelfth day. Oh, and by the way, a new final plot has brewed! **

**Disclaimer: Pity no new disclaimers have brewed. **

* * *

_On the tenth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Ten butterflies flaming, _

_Nine Hopplers hopping, _

_Eight beetles charging, _

_Seven spiders crawling, _

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

"I can't believe it. It's two weeks until Christmas and we still don't have any decorations up," Jane said thoughtfully as she moved through the corridors of the Habitat. Dex by her side, they exited the pavilions and reached the control room.

"I don't think blinking lights and many cords word make this place suitable for the insects," the leader responded, flashing a smile. "Or our children for that matter."

"Oh come one. It's Christmas," she debated, in a whine that alarmingly matched that of their one year old daughter. "We have to do something."

"What? We're not putting up decorations?" Tung, who had been eavesdropping from the control panel, walked over to Dex with a pouted lip. "But we have to; stocking over the fireplace while we roast marshmallows, hanging mistletoe on the roof-"

"I never said we weren't," he replied with exhaustion, now feeling Jenny's eyes on him too. Dex pressed his hands to his face, thinking over his answer. "Ok, you're right, we should set them up. If we can organise teams into different sections, they should all be set by dusk."

Jane groaned loudly as Dex sprinted out of the room. "Even decorating has to have a strategy with him."

Jenny merely smirked as she followed the mother out of the room. "I only hope that the generator can handle all the lights. It's been playing up all day."

* * *

"Ok, everyone has strung up the lights?" Dex announced proudly, met with a sea of nodding heads. The family teams had spent their afternoons in jetpacks and in flight, stringing hanging, lined and blinking lights around the frames of the giant glass habitat. Right now they were standing in the snow, dressed in their winter wear and awaiting Dex to turn on the lights.

"Can you switch the light on please?" the pilot complained through chattering teeth. He was briskly rubbing his gloved hands over his jacket sleeves, standing very close to his wife while she cuddled to Max for warmth. Bream had her arms crossed, while Tung was trying to catch trace snowflakes on to his tongue.

Dex smiled. "Ready?" he asked his wife, excitedly bouncing Jane in her hold. The leader bent down on one knee, holding out a button to his son. "Would you do the honours?"

The child's eyes sparkled at the sight, as though he had just been told that he could have a cookie before dinner. He brought his finger down immediately, pushing the red button on.

For a brief second, the habitat was illuminated in every colour imaginable. Blues and greens flashed on, while reds flicked down the wire, chasing yellow and pick lights.

But in a flash, literally, the lights all burst off in synchronisation. Not just them, but the main flood lights flickered off too, plunging the habitat in to darkness. Jenny let her hand drop to her side as she scoffed.

"Of course."

"All right everyone, don't panic," Dex began, but before he could continue, a bright orange light reflected in his eyes. As though tranced, he started to move towards the door of the pavilion, catching everyone's confused attention as they saw him in the dull light. The crew turned their heads towards the source of light. There, emerged from the volcano in their enclosure, were the larva glow worms, blossoming to giant flaming butterflies.

Their enclosure had a fresh layer of snow, ordered by Dex to see if they would mature early. Everyone huddled in their family groups, faces illuminated by the warm red glow.

Dex and Jane stared up in wonder, pulling their children close to them as they admired the sight. Jenny had her arms wrapped around Zap's torso while he had his arm over her shoulder, sharing a smile while Max stood at Zap's feet. Bream threw her head back for a better look, her smile bright as she tilted it back to a proper angle to smile at Tung. The only thing was; he wasn't there.

"Brilliant fireplace!" he shouted from the base of the volcano, where he held a stick over a low flying butterfly, roasting his marshmallow over its flaming wing.

* * *

**R&R! Glad I had Christmas in this one! **


	11. Multichapter - 11th day

**11****th**** December 2013 Wednesday**

**Day 345**

**20 days to go!**

**This one may be short, but I've left it kind of late in my opinion. I find it ironic, yet suitable, to place a poem chapter in with this song. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the show…ha! I did it!**

* * *

_On the eleventh day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Eleven slugs a-sliming, _

_Ten butterflies flaming, _

_Nine hoppers hopping, _

_Eight beetles charging, _

_Seven spiders crawling, _

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying manta, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

Hamilton's habitat, a saviour for insects alike,

Frolicking in paradise to their delight.

Beetles and spiders and crawling snails,

Practically anything that cricks, buzzes and wails.

Legs a plenty on the six ants all climbing,

And trails oozing from the eleven slugs sliming.

A dysfunctional crew who balance all out,

Find peace among the walls, inside and out.

Though their leader's not satisfied with the antics they're up to,

He's glad at the passion for the work that they do.

A family, a life, he could ask for no more,

It's his series, Alien Entomologist, that he does adore.

* * *

**I love writing poems. R&R!**


	12. Multichapter - 12th day

12th December 2013 Thursday

Day 346

19 days to go!

Yes, I did make up Hopplers…because they hop, and thank you all for the positive feedback on my poems. I can't stress how much I enjoy writing them and I like to think I'm good at it.

Disclaimer: I'm not at liberty to divulge that information. Check with my secretary.

* * *

_On the twelfth day of Christmas, Hamilton Habitat came to see…_

_Twelve crickets chirping, _

_Eleven slugs a-sliming, _

_Ten butterflies flaming, _

_Nine hopplers hopping, _

_Eight beetles charging, _

_Seven spiders crawling, _

_Six ants a-climbing, _

_Five gold ringworms,_

_Four acid snails, _

_Three king scorpions,_

_Two praying mantas, _

_A frog boy in a fern tree._

* * *

"I'm really glad you decided to come here, Dex," Jane smiled at her husband, their faces illuminated by the firelight.

"Yeah, I just only wish this could've been a day mission," Jenny said in a dry voice, sitting side by side with Zap.

"Come on, it's just like old times. Before we started to put lives ahead of work," the leader glanced behind him, spying three little children wrapped up in sleeping bags and snoozing on the cold ground. "Besides, the kids needed a camping experience once in their lives."

"Well, I'm just glad to come back to this delicious food," Tung cheered loudly, letting his tongue scrap to every inch of the bowl and lapping up the slime greedily. "Jane, what you can do with very little ingredients on your home planet is nothing short of God-like."

"I'm glad I've finally seen where you used to live, Jane," Bream said with her usual sweet-laced voice. "If you don't get sea sick you can come and visit my planet."

"Let's get through this trip first," Jane answered with a smile, pulling a disgruntled and suddenly awake again Winston in to her lap.

Tung was about to pour himself a forth serving, when a low rumble caught his attention. "What's that?"

Everyone strained their hearing in order to catch a sound. Zap's eyebrow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah I hear it too."

"I think it's coming from over there," Dex said, standing tall and pointing a finger in the direction of the noise. The excitement travelled in his voice at the prospect of a new adventure. "Come on, let's check it out."

"You guys go ahead, Bream and I will stay with them," Jenny nodded her head towards the sleeping bundle of toddlers. The leader nodded in thanks before leaving the campfire, pulling a crew of Jane, Tung and Zap through the trees.

The half-moon cast enough light for them to avoid springing tree branches near their faces, but not large sink holes that kept up on them hidden within the darkness. It seemed like every few steps, they had to wrench Tung out of a new pothole he had managed to stumble in to.

* * *

A clearing overlooking a large valley cut their trail short. In the distant, cowering in a large and protective group, was a small orchestra of crickets, chirping loudly.

Dex pulled a pair of binoculars out, pulling them to his eyes. In his enhanced gaze, they appeared distraught and uncomfortable.

"Their numbers have whittled down to a dozen," Jane commented, taking the binoculars and looking for herself. Zap took them after her.

"What do you think it is? New predator? Competition for food and shelter loss?" he catalogued, while handing the lenses to Tung. Dex had his finger placed under his chin, thinking as he usually did.

"Unless a new species has been introduced since Jane's departure, it shouldn't be predation," insisted the entomologist. His eyes sparkled at the sight, practically tasting the new mission. Dex clapped his hands together lightly, a sound that by this point caused a chill to run up Zap's spine.

"I guess our visit here has just extended itself."

* * *

**And that mission will be in the chapter after next. I'm going to start the "final plot" in the next one. So glad to have finished this song, remember to sing the real lyrics whenever you hear the 12 days of Christmas or else people might look at you weird. R&R!**


	13. Main story - Deal

**13****th**** December 2013 Friday**

**Day 347**

**18 days to go!**

**Happy Friday the 13th! Boo! Not much to report except, I'm going to be sad when this year is over too. There's no way I could do this again for this fandom because I've used all the plots possible that I can think of. Unless you guys could think of some…maybe I could work on some more stories next year. (In holidays; there's no way I'm doing anything during study time). **

**Disclaimer: I can only hope…**

* * *

He sat by himself, surrounded in grime and darkness. On the mouldy bench placed at the back of the cell, Dr Monogan threaded his fingers through his hair as he waited for something, anything to change.

"Stuck in this rotten place for years, no chance of parole," he glances up, hearing muffled voices of the guards talking loudly down the metal hall. "What does someone have to do to get a decent serving of water in here?"

With creaking joints, the man stands slowly and waddles towards the door, tightening his grip on the cold, moist bars. "Hello?"

He presses his head as close to the door as possible, craning his sight as the voices slowly become louder and more violent. He glances down hurriedly as one of the guards collapses to the ground, unconscious and defeated.

"What the-?" yellow eyes cast themselves upward, where the man hardly quavered at the sight of a large, green-skinned person staring back at him with a grin.

"Doctor, I presume?" he asked with a shrill sort of voice, grabbing one of the bars himself. Doctor Monogan leant back, boredom etched on his aging face.

"If you're the new guard sent to watch over me, I'm hardly impressed," he waved a hand modestly in front of his nose. "And I'll have you know that someone with your breath should consider eating a mint before they come in to such proximity to another human being."

"Ah, but that's where you're wrong," his yellow teeth flashed across his bottom lip, his top one rising in a snarl. The green man stood back to show his unique quality to the man, expecting him to flinch or cry at the sight of large black-green tentacles protruding from where his legs should have been. He was stunned when the man did not react again.

"So, are you a project sent from another gene splicer, come to gloat?" his face turned in to a dark grimace. "Or you found out I'm a gene splicer and have come to show me what I'm missing out on?"

The man pretended to think. "Let's just say this; are you familiar with Hamilton's Habitat?"

"That place where one of my greatest creations has resided in, yes, I'm familiar."

"Well, I'm a studier of alien insects, driven to create the best hybrid species for total domination of the world," Syrrus threw his hands in to the air. "I've created some of the most beautiful destroyers in the universe."

An amused eyebrow raised itself on Dr Monogan's forehead. "Go on."

"With your gene splicing knowledge, we can infiltrate the habitat and take whatever we want. We'd be unstoppable. I just need more people to try and get in to the habitat; doing it alone is no easy feat."

The doctor hummed in thought. "And I could get my hands on the genetic goldmine of a child. My insect creation, merged with that of a Jenny programme…at my fingertips!"

He let out a throaty laugh, which was quickly joined by Syrrus. "So, do we have a deal?" He held up the large set of keys in front of the prisoner's face, jangling them with a sharp rattle. A large grin spread on the doctor's lips.

"Deal."

* * *

**Great, I have to name the chapters again. Chilling, but this chapter somewhat inspired me to do more free writing, because writing the villains is much more interesting. R&R! I'm on Fictionpress too with my writer's club. We're under the name "The Finer Things" (you know you can sign on to fictionpress using your fanfiction account!) and although we haven't published anything yet, we will do. If you go to that profile…you may find out my name…Feel free to friend us and we might do the same (have to discuss it at the next meeting!). **


	14. Main story - Still a new mom

**14****th**** December 2013 Saturday**

**Day 348**

**17 days to go!**

**Mayday! Do not go Christmas shopping at a popular place unless you want to be trampled! (I wasn't, luckily enough, but I was definitely feeling claustrophobic). **

**May have forgotten to mention this before, but I passed all my classes again! (Just a nice little reminder to me).**

**Disclaimer: I looked everywhere, there were no Dex Hamilton ownership of show certificates anywhere. They were all sold out!**

* * *

Jenny hummed as she rocked her child to sleep, swaying with her own tune as the fire crackled to a low flame. Bream watched from the side, hand pressed in to her cheek as she leant on it.

"You do make a good mom," she said thoughtfully, as though the opinion wasn't meant to leave her head. Jenny glanced up at her, before returning her smiling gaze to the sleeping toddler.

"Thanks, but it's still weird," her thoughts slowly gathered together, spilling out in a tired monologue. "There's just so much change to go through with it, not that I don't love creating new schedules and stuff, but he's been a huge lifestyle change."

"Did you ever think you were going to have kids?" she asked, with a little bit of nerves quivering in her tone.

"Never," Jenny answered firmly, shaking her head to address Bream. "I never thought about it. I was so convinced that perhaps I couldn't, that I just tried and pushed it to the back of my mind. It is pretty cool to see how adorable Zap would have looked as a baby."

Jenny took a subtle glance over to Bream, catching the smile on the frog girl's face as she rocked the sleeping Sammy in her hold. The clone drew a steady, cautious breath.

"Ok, I know this is probably weird of me to ask," Bream's gaze met hers, slight confusion evident in her furrowed eyebrows. "But…do you ever think about having kids?"

"Of course I have," she replied with such a casual voice that Jenny could not stop her surprised expression. "That's what girls on my home planet did. They went to school, then became stay at home parents while the men hunted for fish."

A small flash of guilt crossed Bream's eyes. "But I was never that old fashioned. I stayed in school as long as I could because I loved to learn, and then began building toys for kids in the village. I suppose I'm not old enough for kids anyway; Earth or home, so I know I don't have to worry about it for ages."

The engineer smiled as Bream returned her attention back to cradling the infant. "For what it's worth, you'd be a great mom," she shyly smiled back to her conversationalist. "I mean, you'd never get used to it, heck Max is almost two and I still feel like a new mom, but…it's pretty great."

They were interrupted as the bush in front of them quivered with the sound of footsteps, and Dex emerged at the head of the crew.

"Guess what?" Zap's tone was already heavy with sarcasm as he approached the clone. "Dex has a mission for us. We have to find out what's causing stress on these crickets."

"Great," Jenny replied with a smile, the same sarcasm in her voice. She stood up, gently handing over Max to the expecting father. Bream watched on carefully as Zap took him in his hold, letting him rest against his shoulder while patting Max's back. The young couple shared a smile.

Jane advanced quickly over to Bream, taking Sammy thankfully and greedily out of the other girl's hold. Winston was now standing at Dex's leg, though his heavy eyelids were bordering on closing. He grabbed his father's pants, pulling them to get his attention.

"Dad, come on, we have to go to sleep," he murmured in a very sleepy tone. Dex placed his hand on his son's sandy head.

"He's right, time to retreat everyone," Dex glanced around at the four tents. "We've got some serious strategizing to do tomorrow."

Everyone quickly moved in to their tents, divided in to families. Dex, Jane, Winston and Sammy took the largest one; Zap, Jenny and Max entered the next largest one and Tung scurried quickly in to the small one in the circle. For a moment, Bream just stood, watching the dying flames flicker out before retiring in to her tent.

It had never looked so empty.

* * *

**Ok, sorry but I'll make the mission tomorrow if I can think of something. I just like to stir up questions. R&R! **


	15. Main story - Discovery

**15****th**** December 2013 Sunday**

**Day 349**

**16 days to go!**

**We're at the half-way point now people, and I wish I had better ideas for the next few. At least we can look forward to Habibot tomorrow!**

**Disclaimer: I own the episodes on my television. **

* * *

A heavenly sunrise was their wake up call to a new mission. Dex, of course, was the first to emerge from his tent and absorb the peaceful moment in isolation, before the golden sunrise began pouring down on three children, all whom were very full of energy.

"Where do we start dad?" Winston asked with the utmost enthusiasm. Dex spread a crooked smile at his son, seeing himself reflected in the child.

"Well, first we'll have to wait until everyone else is awake," he explained, taking a seat at the now extinguished fireplace. "And for us, that means waiting for Zap to pull himself out of bed."

"I heard that," came the pilot's voice as he exited his tent, his hair dishevelled from sleep. Dex gave him an amused smirk.

"Since when are you up this early?" he asked, eyes travelling to the just as tired Jenny standing up behind him.

"Oh, well, I've been up since…Max jumped on my stomach," Zap shot a mock scowl to his son, who merely smiled back with childlike innocence. "Yeah that was his way of saying 'Good morning!'"

The rest of the team came out soon after, slowly shaking themselves from their state of sleep.

"Ok team, we need to split up, as usual. Jane, keep an eye on Sammy, and you can take Bream too. Collect any new animal species you can find. Tung, Jenny and yourself will look for any unusual plant species that may be in the diet. Zap, you and Max-" the leader was silenced as a spine-tingling howl echoed through the forest on the planet, releasing bids from trees and sending smaller insects scurrying.

The trees parted, and a few choice crickets pushed through in a stampede to escape whatever caused that noise.

"Look out!" Dex shouted, pulling his family together before leaping to the side. The crew moved out of the way, gaping as the crickets passed their campsite.

"Thank God," Zap sighed loudly, catching everyone's attention. "This is going to save us a lot of unnecessary research."

* * *

"What do we have to do, dad?" Max asked curiously, crouched behind the trees with his father. Zap was standing up, looking around a tree for their target.

"We have to wait here for the bug to come. Then, when it does, divert it back to mom and Tung," he said, memorising the plan himself more than reciting.

"But when will the bug come?"

"Usually, you'll hear this loud thumping," he started, cringing at his 'Dex' tone. The child moved his head as a large, pounding noise shook the ground below them. "Yep, I'd say that's it," he flipped his com open to view Jenny. "It's coming near us; we'll send it to you soon."

"Dad," Max lengthened his words as his large green eyes spied a huge black and purple bug heading in their direction. Zap immediately shut his wristcom, moving towards a tree standing at the edge of the forest. To his son's surprise, the bug boy began pushing against the largest tree, grunting through his teeth and shouting 'come on' over and over.

The tree shifted, its roots emerging from its soil haven to be forced sideways. It fell with a thunderous clap, blocking the path of the insect. It reared at the sight, before turning and bounding off in the other direction.

"There, that's how it's-" Zap turned around, spying his child with an open mouth and wide eyes. "What?"

* * *

"Ok, it's heading this way," Jenny announced after closing her wristcom. Tung held up his weapon at the same time as Jenny, the rest of the crew standing behind with their own weapons with the obvious exclusion of Winston and Sammy. "Ready?"

"Wait," the clone jolted at his loud interjection. "Is it on three or after three?"

Jenny stared at him with puzzlement. "What? There is no three. You fire…when I say…fire."

He exclaimed in recognition, smiling and nodding to the girl. A loud thundering of a bounding insect came closer and closer, and Jenny held her weapon up in preparation. "Ready…fire!"

The large bug came in to view, and was immediately covered in resistant string from all the weapon's combined. Tung began shouting from beside the clone, but he would have to wait as they worked together, tying the string around its thorax and legs. Eventually, the bug was imprisoned in a web-like structure.

Jenny returned her gun to her holster. "Well, that was easy enough," she turned her attention to Tung, the tracker covered in the web string himself.

"Heh, guess I had the gun the wrong way around," he chortled, covering his blush of embarrassment under the wire.

"Incredible," Dex mused as he approached the bug himself. It was writhing in pain, fighting against the thread in an attempt to escape. "I've never seen anything like it before."

"Are you saying we've discovered a new insect, Dex?" Jane said with a smirk. The leader bent down to the creature, and was soon joined in by everyone within the group.

"See the way the legs are attached to the thorax," he traced a finger along the joint line. "That certainly doesn't seem like a natural selection occurrence. These things almost look…man made."

* * *

**R&R! **


	16. One shot - Christmas in the life of Habi

**16****th**** December 2013 Monday**

**Day 350**

**15 days to go! 15! Less than half a month to go! Boy I'm going to miss you guys, but if you want, I'll be on to chat in the Dex Hamilton chatroom on Deviantart (#dexhamilton). And don't worry, I'll be back to make sure I finish off my other stories (and start some more) so you haven't seen the last of me. **

**Disclaimer: Mental note: never start a New Year's resolution that involves a repetitive word that can slowly drive you insane!**

* * *

So once again I'm taking advantage of my four hour break by simply sitting and watching my team in progress as they prepare for Christmas, and I have to say…

…what a group of misfits!

I take advantage of my position, placed on my velvet pillow and pushed to the side where no one thinks of looking twice. I can watch in piece as every member of the team becomes themselves, unaware of my wondering orange eyes.

First off, the big leader comes in, looking proudly around at his workplace.

_Smug, much?_

He holds up a bright Christmas decoration; a large, yellow star. I watch closely as he holds it up to the centre of the room, squinting his eyes as though measuring its position. It's a matter of seconds before his wife enters, the huge smile disappearing from her face as she sees what he is doing, caching something behind her back.

_It's like a real live soap opera. _

He manages to convince her to show whatever it is, and another star practically identical to Dex's one is revealed. At the drop of a hat, they begin bickering; arguments about the control room colouring, adjacent decorations and position come in to their choice of words. I suppose in a relationship where both parties believe they are the alpha would have many conflicts such as this.

The door opens once again, and two young children resembling the appearance of the one in red come barrelling in, snatching the stars out of their parent's hands and placing them on similar branches on the Christmas tree. I watch as they turn around, smirking at their parents' looks of shock. And, once again, they shrug, realising they'll never be able to get those stars back even if they tried. The pair kiss, moving towards their children where the family can admire the tree in peace.

_Heh, weaklings. _

My creator comes in. She is the only one I find tolerable, yet right now I am questioning her decision to build me with ears. The pilot is following her in, both of them shouting loudly at each other as they walk in to my view. I'm sure it's absolutely nothing, I wouldn't know, I've turned my hearing down, because with these two, one minute they are fighting and the next…well they're fighting again. It's like; they can't have a conversation between them without it breaking the decibel level in my system. The young one comes in, looking just like the pilot, and spreads his wings, landing on to his father's shoulders in a piggy-back. The two's faces are immediately replaced with smiles towards the child, who is either hiding their row with an innocent smile, or simply didn't know what he had interrupted. They move out of my way, much to my relief, but not before sharing a quick, and slightly disturbing kiss.

_Gross, do you mind? I don't want to see that._

And, of course, the biggest misfit of them all strolls in to the room like he owns the place.

_Yeah…keep wishing buddy…_

And, as usual he is all by himself. He just looks around proudly as the leader had done not moments ago, admiring the other people in the room and the decorations adoring the walls. His long tongue flicks out of his mouth, managing to catch some popcorn from a decoration garland right behind me, sending chills over my hardware. He walks back to the door, pulling the green girl in to the room with a big smile on his face. Well, it seems as though they've become closer. She's not shaking in fear and disgust at the touch of his glove, but come to think of it, she's never done that before.

_Huh, wonder what's wrong with her. _

I look back to the Christmas tree, now surrounded by three groups of people, holding each other close as they stare at the tree. Weird, I suppose people put up with a lot to be with the ones they care about, and things going on around them such as children and holidays tend to have a big effect on them too.

_No thanks, too cheesy for me. _

I spread my wings, but the lights on the tree flash on, illuminating the whole room as the crew applaud at the sight.

_Well, maybe I'll just go over there for a second. _

I float silently behind them, soaring over Zap's head and landing in Max's grip. I can tolerate him, I suppose. He reminds me of me. I flip open my lid, echoing out a soft, Christmas tune from my speakers. We all don't realise, but we begin to sway to the music, completely enthralled in the twinkling lights on the tree. My crew sure know how to celebrate. That's right, they're my crew…and I wouldn't have them any other way.

* * *

**Aww, guess Habibot doesn't think it's incredibly cheesy! Such a sweet setting, and I adore writing his satire. R&R!**


	17. Main story - The new evil crew

**17****th**** December 2013 Tuesday**

**Day 351**

**14 days to go! 2 weeks! A fortnight! Hopefully I can fit everything in. I wish I was doing more stories involving this plotline next year, but I don't think any ideas come to mind. I little Habibot saga sounds good…hmm…but other than that, I think this is the last month you guys will see the kids. (Sad to think). **

**Disclaimer: For March Entertainment. To own the show is all I ask, despite its group work it'll be a fun task. Please consider me to join your crew, you won't regret me working for you.**

* * *

Bottles of all different shapes and sizes were placed on the laboratory countertop, each holding a different colour or amount of liquid. Doctor Monogan seized on of them in to his clammy hand, delicately distributing an eyedropper portion on to the tiny bug squirming in front of him. It was doused in the clear liquid, and in a blink of an eye, it grew to alien proportions.

"Yes," he mused, admiring the now gargantuan sized insect of purple and black standing before him, baring its fangs maliciously. He held up a spray can, emitting a fog which promptly put the insect to sleep.

A door slid open silently behind the working doctor, who turned at the noise with an expression of annoyance.

"I wish you hadn't dropped all our experimental bugs off at that planet," he spoke in a tired tone. "Now we have none left to breed and we have to grow more by hand."

"Oh pish posh," Syrrus replied with a wave of his hand as he strolled in to the room. "We can just make more, it's not that hard."

Doctor Monogan deadpanned in his direction. "We don't have much growth formula left."

"Is there enough for one more?" he asked, staring stunned at the twitching insect.

"Yes," the doctor groaned, narrowing his eyes at him. Syrrus turned around, placing his hands on the table in a challenging way.

"Then, with the help of this one, we can make some more," his words were slow and prolonged, as though trying to explain it to someone with little intelligence. The expression delivered to him was hardly amused.

"Ahuh," he murmured, returning some of the chemicals back to their original places. "And what exactly were you doing while I was creating our beautiful insects?"

"I'm glad you asked," Syrrus straightened up, crossing his arms over his chest while his tentacles floated ominously below him. "What is something super villains need?"

"Um, a lair?"

"Nope."

"Um, cool costumes?"

"Nope, I believe we have those."

"Um, an evil laugh?"

"No…that one's on back order," he caved at the sight of the doctor shrugging in defeat. "Numbers!"

"Huh?"

"More recruits!" he said, pointing a finger skyward, as though he had come up with the most master plan ever fathomed by a villain before. "Think about it; we recruit more people to help us, which makes it harder for our enemies to divide and conquer us while we divide and conquer them!"

Doctor Monogan placed a hand under his chin as he thought. "Sure, but who would be willing to join us in a mission so vile and dangerous?"

Syrrus smirked, baring his yellow fang-like teeth. "I'm glad you asked again. Come in!"

The doctor turned around, and the door swished open gracefully to reveal…

"A Jenny member?" he asked, eyes wide in delight and astonishment. The girl walked in to the room casually, analysing her fingernails to avoid staring at the people in the room. She looked up at Doctor Monogan's words.

"How do you know about the Jenny programme?"

He was about to answer when Syrrus walked between them, carefully severing the conversation just in case his comrade said the wrong thing.

"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that we need an expert pilot and you need cash," he draped a chilling arm over her shoulders. "Let's not make it personal shall we?"

She moved in to the room further by his force, casting a quick, nervous glance towards the doctor smirking at her. They huddled in to a group, Syrrus more excited than before.

"Welcome to our first group meeting," he declared, rubbing his hands together greedily. "I call leader!"

The others simply stared at his childish behaviour, hardly as enthralled as he was. Syrrus lowered his hand, the grin returning to his face.

"And our first mission…destroy Hamilton Habitat!"

* * *

**R&R!**


	18. One shot - New tradition

**18****th**** December 2013 Wednesday**

**Day 352**

**13 days to go!**

**Up early because it's a busy day and I don't know what time I'll be home. It was all written on my phone so I promise to correct it later!**

**Disclaimer: Don't make me say it again. **

* * *

"Anything in here?" Zap mumbled aloud to himself as he rummaged through another Christmas box that held the teams decorations. He had just about thrown everything out, when Tung entered the room.

"Whoa, dude. What happened in here?" he asked, eyes skimming over the mass of tinsel, baubles and tangles of lights that littered the ground. The pilot sighed, sinking to a kneeling position.

"Nothing, it's nothing," he said, stroking his hand over his brow. "I'm just looking for something."

"What?" his voice raised itself a little with the question.

Zap sighed loudly once again, only this time it was out of frustration.

"Nothing!" he shouted in response, unaware of the blush speeding across his cheeks. Tung's large eyes were quick to spot this.

"Is it about Jenny?"

The pilot's eyes widened to their fullest. How did he know that? he realized that his eyes left wide and his mouth open were not good in his favour, and from lack of speaking, realized he couldn't argue his way out of it.

"Well, yeah, maybe," he mumbled, bashfully stroking his neck. He caved at the sight of Tung's eager, puppy dog stare.

"I kind of want to tell her how I feel this Christmas," the huge grin from the tracker urged him on, albeit made him uncomfortable. "I was going to try and catch her under some mistletoe or something, but I can't seem to find that stupid plant anywhere."

Tung hummed loudly in thought. "I'll help you go through the rest of the boxes, dude," he volunteered with a smile. Zap spread his lips thin in a sympathetic smile.

"Thanks man, but I've already checked every box we own," he threw a bauble back in to the box. "It's hopeless."

The frog boy continued to ponder. "What if you made her think it was mistletoe. Anytime around Christmas you look up and see a plant tied to the ceiling, you think it's mistletoe."

Zap tapped the side of the box as he processed the words. "So, you're saying I could sweep her off her feet and she wouldn't even notice?". Tung nodded happily, his large head moving up and down in the act. Zap smirked bashfully.

"I like the way you think, frog boy."

* * *

After a long search in the garden pavilion near the front entrance, Zap finally found a small plant that, at the right height, could easily pass as mistletoe. The pilot fluttered up to the ceiling over an area he was sure Jenny would walk past, and boy was he right...because she turned down that corridor before he had even fastened the plant.

"Hy Zap," her cheery voice startled the bug boy, who was sent tumbling back down to the ground in a clumsy act. He stood, briskly dusting himself off for her while she tried to hide a giggle. Her eyes caught something green in his hand, and she raised her eyebrow.

"What's that?" she asked, pointing down to the toy bouquet in his hand. Zap was so stunned hen she had come in that he forgot to hide the plant behind him.

"Oh, this?" he tried to think of an excuse; anything that would get him out of this embarrassing situation, but, upon spying her smile at the red coloured ribbon tied around the stems and the fact that he was just at the ceiling, he knew she was smart enough to put two and two together. "This...is a failed excuse of mistletoe. I was hoping to put it up and catch you under it."

He fought to avoid her gaze, not seeing that she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Ok, first of all; that's basil," she pointed down to the plant in his hand. "Second of all-"

He looked up in time to see her pull out a small green plant from behind her, adorned in ribbon and tiny white pods. The engineer glanced sheepishly away as he looked up in shock.

"I kind of took the mistletoe out of the Christmas box. I was going to set it up somewhere where you would walk under."

His eyes glanced over her face, flushing as pink as her uniform.

With a small smirk and the tiny ray of hope growing larger and larger in his stomach, he reached out for the mistletoe, only to be shocked when Jenny closed her fist and threw it behind her.

"That one doesn't matter," she explained to his puzzled expression. She held her gaze to the basil sprig in his hand, causing him to do the same. "What do you say we make our own tradition?"

Mirroring her smirk, Zap lifted the "mistletoe" up between them, pulling her close with his other hand while she placed hers on his shoulders.

Their lips touched, sending a feeling of happiness and joy spread through them like neither thought possible.

They parted, nothing sighing lightly with equally red faces spreading as far as their ears. Zap murmured to her quietly as their foreheads rested against each other.

"Merry Christmas."

* * *

**R&R!**


	19. Main story - Element of surprise

**19****th**** December 2013 Thursday**

**Day 353**

**12 days to go!**

**It's annoying getting stuck in a good book. It's like they're rubbing your nose it; they are published, you're not, they have a good idea, I'm struggling for one right now. Anyway, it is always fun to read. I actually find it easier to read two books at once, especially if you're having trouble reading one.**

**Disclaimer: If anything does happen, and this really does come true, I'll laugh so hard. **

* * *

Piloting the large, dark craft, the hired Jenny clone flicked the switches both above her and in the panel close to her. "Horizon is at a stable level…looks good," she continued to mutter to herself, even if it was just to avoid the glowering stare she could feel burning in to her cheek.

"So, what has Syrrus got against this place, anyway?" she asked, hoping it came out casually, but she shivered at the sight of narrowed eyes.

"That is none of your business," Doctor Monogan replied in a cold tone. Jenny shifted in her seat, scoffing slightly if only to make the conversation more cheery.

"I'm kind of piloting the ship holding all those big as bugs back there. It feels a little like my business."

"Didn't he tell you to not make it personal," his voice cut in to her words, rendering them both silent. After a while, the doctor stood up, still quiet, and strolled out of the room, leaving the Jenny clone in peace.

She stared ahead at the now approaching planet, continually making sure that the ship remained level with the surface according to the navigation system. Jenny huffed in annoyance, letting her head drop in a disappointed shake.

"These people are crazy," she whispered underneath her breath, just in case there were any listening devices around. She rolled her eyes dramatically. "I sure hope I'm not getting myself in to anything."

"Ah, my dear, are we almost there?" Syrrus had returned to the cockpit, with the doctor close behind him. Jenny turned her head around sharply, making eye contact with the menacing monster.

"Ah, yeah, we're about ten minutes from your requested location," she bit her lip in preparation for her next question. "Why are we going to this Habitat, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, you see, my insects have been starved of food for many days now," he said with a grimace, but glanced at Doctor Monogan with a twinkle in his eye. "And since their only source of food is alien insects, I'm hoping that the man who lives here would be able to provide us with some of his collection."

Large, fake tears began exploding down his face, much to the clone's surprise. "I fear this is their only chance at living, so please, help me heal my babies."

"O-of course," she said in a shaky tone, returning her grip on to the steering wheel. "Absolutely, I'll get you guys there."

"Marvellous," his voice had returned to its usual, high strung tone that sent a chill up her spine. "And don't forget, try not to make it obvious that we're arriving at the habitat. I happen to know that this man is not liberal with his insects, but I'm hoping he will give me a chance…just like you have, my dear."

The clone tightened her grip, feeling the rubber of her gloves squelch with the strain as she resisted the urge to gag.

Slowly, the habitat came in to view, standing proudly on its own island and completely unaware of what was to come in the form of that ship.

"There, dead ahead," Syrrus lunged forward, spreading a green forefinger towards the habitat. The clone hid her smirk at his now enthused state, considering that the habitat had already been spotted by the navigation system and everyone else in the ship. Syrrus clapped his hands excitedly, bouncing up and down on his grotesque tentacles.

"Oh boy, this does seem exciting," he said, continuing to clap and grin wider than ever.

"Relax, would you?" the doctor said. His appearance was more calm, keeping his arms hidden inside the other's sleeve as he kept a composed expression facing the habitat. "We're not even there yet and already I can tell that your attitude might screw things up."

"Oh really," Syrrus placed his hands on his hips, his tone challenging. "Well, what do you think about this?"

As quick as he could, he pushed Jenny out of her seat and immediately took the controls. The ship sped up, heading straight for the building while the clone sat in horror on the ground.

"What are you doing?" she shouted, trying to push him out of the seat. His grip tightened all the more.

"I'm giving them what they deserve," he said, aiming for the centre of the building. "The element of surprise."

Seconds before collision, Doctor Monogan sighed loudly. "Yes, I do think your attitude is going to screw things up."

* * *

**R&R!**


	20. Main story - Let's get them!

**20****th**** December 2013 Friday**

**Day 354**

**11 days to go!**

**Another early(ish) update because I'm out later, but it's nice going through the day knowing I've already done my job here. **

**Disclaimer: Clearly my writing style is owned by me; it's very hard to mimic someone else's exactly. **

* * *

_Previously…_

_"I'm giving them what they deserve," he said, aiming for the centre of the building. "The element of surprise."_

_Seconds before collision, Doctor Monogan sighed loudly. "Yes, I do think your attitude is going to screw things up."_

"Get out of the way!" the Jenny clone shouted, forcing the green man off the steering wheel before taking it in to her own hold. She pulled with ship upwards with a groan, narrowly avoiding the large steeple of the building. She turned back to the men, exhaling from the near miss. "Are you insane? I thought you wanted to be subtle about this?"

"We'll go by any means necessary to get those bugs," he stated firmly, balling his hand in to a fist. "Now prove to us you're an expert pilot and land this ship on that building."

She groaned loudly, taking her seat properly behind the wheel before sharply turning the ship around. It floated gracefully towards the habitat, landing with a silent clink of metal hitting metal.

"And that's how you do subtlety," she smirked, emerging from the chair. Syrrus gave her an approving nod, while the doctor remained emotionless.

"Good work," Doctor Monogan's dry tone almost sounded sarcastic. "Now, let's get to work on this place."

He stormed out of the room, the clone distinctly hearing the bugs roaring in anticipation. She stared up at Syrrus, who was gazing out of the windscreen at the habitat with malice. "What do we do now?"

"Well, it's simple. Go and set his animals free while I talk to Mr. Hamilton. Oh, and you might need this," he brandished a weapon and dropped it in to her shaking hands. "After all, some of these bugs can get a little feisty."

The man floated to the door, where he pulled it open and sucked in a big breath. "Daddy's coming lovelies!"

The clone turned her nose up at his words, watching as both her team members moved to the centre of the building; giant purple and black scurrying insects trailing them. Syrrus mouthed an order which was noiseless through the glass, and a few of the large bugs began burrowing straight through the metal, their large claw-like pincers flicking back scraps.

Her boots clanked against the surface as she ran to join them, gun bouncing in her grip. "What are you doing?"

"Finally getting our revenge," Syrrus murmured through a yellow grin. To her shock, he disappeared in to a cloud of flying insects, which swarmed around the hole in the building. "Fire at anything that moves!"

Doctor Monogan and the swarm moved down in to the habitat, along with a group of the insects. Some stayed behind to wreak havoc on the exterior. The clone turned around, breathing heavily as she debated with herself.

Should I stay?

They might get hurt.

Who are we-?

"Put your hands up!" a shrill voice behind her ordered. As quick as anything, she dropped the gun to her feet and shot her hands up in the air. "Turn around."

She obliged, her eyes screwed shut in fear. The clone could feel her heart beating in her ribcage as a sharp gasp was released from the other person. "Jenny?"

Her eyes shot open, and, hidden within the shadows of one of the building emerged a similar girl with blue hair and green eyes, holding a small weapon up to the clone. She gasped in response.

"Oh, please let that be a mirror," the clone moaned loudly, dropping her hands to her sides. Jenny 10 walked up to her quickly, yet her gun didn't waver.

"What are you doing here?" Jenny asked, both of the girls noticing the building beginning to crumble around them. "Why are you helping them?"

"I thought I was helping the bugs," she argued back, but was silenced when the angry looking pilot landed next to his wife.

"Jenny, what's going on?" his eyes trailed her gaze, landing on the clone. "Which one is she?"

The engineer sighed heavily, finally lowering her weapon to her clone's relief. "One I hoped you would never have to meet. Zap, this is Jenny 7; she's a pilot expert."

His eyes widened as they fell on her again. "Pilot expert…"

"Jenny, this is Zap, the pilot of our crew. He's…uh," there was no need to explain once a small blur passed by the team, landing gently behind Jenny 10's leg. He emerged shyly, staring down at the surprised clone. "Yeah, well, anyway, we don't have time for introductions. Why are you helping the bad guys?"

"I-" Jenny 7 gaped at the family, before pointing at Zap. "You look just like the doctor."

"Yeah, I know, and he's supposed to be in jail," he snapped, scooping Max up in to his hold. "Are you going to help us or not? Are you really going to fight against your sister?"

Jenny 7 shook her head rapidly, quickly piecing together the situation. "No, of course I'll help you guys. I'm so sorry…let's go get them!"

* * *

**R&R!**


	21. Main story - Crumbling away

**21****st**** December 2013 Saturday**

**Day 355**

**10 days to go! A round number! The final 10. You know, I was reading the reviews to early August, and they just made me laugh so much. Thank you for giving me such happiness. **

**Disclaimer: You always want what you can't have. **

* * *

"She is absolutely gorgeous," Winston Sr. bounced the tiny Sammy on his lap, the team completely oblivious to their impending attack. The older man peered over his round glasses to look at his proud son. "You know, she reminds me a lot of your mother."

The smile appeared to grow ten-fold on Dex's lips. "Thanks dad."

"Grandpa, are you going to stay for Christmas?" Junior asked in a pleading tone, craning his head up to amplify his puppy dog eyes. Winston chuckled as he handed Sammy back to Jane, hauling Winston Jr. on to his knee.

"But of course I will," he said, moustache twitching with his smile. "I wouldn't miss it for anything-"

A loud, low rumbled crossed above everyone's heads, sending their noses skyward in search of the noise.

"What was that?" Tung questioned, still looking around the empty ceiling. Jenny furrowed her brow as she strained to listen.

"I'm going to go and check the cameras," she sprinted towards the computers, just as another more loud and distinct clank against metal was heard right above them.

"Sounds like we've got some visitors," the leader said with curiosity, the spark of adventure once again coming to his voice. "Anything on the screens Jenny?"

"You're not wrong, we've got an unidentified craft on our roof," the clone scrolled on the zoom button, showing the entire crew and image of a dark purple ship.

"Ok everyone, emergency drill number two. Dad, you come with us while Bream takes the kids to the shelter."

As everyone disbanded, Zap tiptoed quickly up to Jenny. "Hey, I must've forgot to read that page; what do we do in drill number two?"

The engineer sighed loudly. "We go, to the roof," she pointed upwards with a sarcastic finger.

"Fine, but we take Max with us," the toddler ran up to his father at the sound of his name. "He can be helpful."

* * *

Dex, with Jane and Winston ran through the habitat's enclosures, looking around frantically. Dex flipped open his com, connecting to a camera that displayed Syrrus entering the building after his giant insect creations.

"Yep, it's Syrrus all right," he said, closing his com in frustration. "The only way we can get him would be a trap-"

"Well, hello, old friends," a cold voice echoed behind them. The group turned around, spying their arch enemy surrounded by his creatures. "Although, we were never friends…hello old foes…fiends…well, maybe-"

"What are you doing here?" Dex ordered, standing protectively in front of his father and his wife.

"Why, I've come for your collection," he said, walking up to a glass pavilion and stroking the outside. "I have always admired it, and to create the most destructive species in the galaxy, it would save me a lot of time by simply taking your work."

"This habitat has been run by generations of Hamiltons," Winston interrupted, standing protectively in front of his son. "We've got you outnumbered around this place."

"Yes, well, that may seem true, but as we speak my insects are doing some of the laborious destruction while another counterpart of mine is right behind you."

They spun around, seeing Doctor Monogan grin evilly with another herd of the large, purple insects behind him. "So liberating being out in the fresh air, but you would know, you were the ones who sent me to that horrid jail."

"You deserved it!" Dex cried out, moving to address the man. "You tried to take a child away from his caring family."

"And now, I can destroy both that family and their home," as though one of his words were key, the insects behind him began scurrying around, destroying many pavilion doors and shattering glass. "Better not stay, unless you want to be flattened."

"Quick, try and keep our insects protected," he handed his wife a concrete gun, which she began to fire around. It broke away as soon as another insect collided its claws with the repairing walls.

Syrrus let out another evil cackle. "You seriously think that's going to stop what is happening here?"

"I sure do," she turned the weapon on to the monster and fired. A large slab of concrete began to form in his mouth, causing him to scream and groan in pain, bringing his hands up to his face. Jane spun the weapon around in her hand, before firing on all the giant insects. Their claws became encased in growing concrete, keeping them from moving or causing further destruction.

"Dex, you need to round them up somehow."

"I'm on it," called a voice from above. Zap was piloting the yellow hover-ship down to the team, and to Dex and Jane's surprise, there were two Jenny clones in the car with him and Max. A large net fell from below their craft, encasing the insects in a big group before settling the ship down beside it. The clone in the back seat jumped over the door, striding towards the villain.

"I can't believe you let me do this?" she screeched, gesturing with her hands. "I mean, hiring me to destroy my sister's habitat, their work. What did you take me for?"

Syrrus pulled his hands away from his face, rubble powdering his hands as he smirked. "Completely gullible, of course. Doc, it's time!"

The green man produced a small device, with a single red button placed on top. His pointed finger pressed down on the button.

From the distance, a loud rumbling rolled across the team, and great chucks of the building came tumbling down as a result of the bomb.

"Another one is going to go off," the monster explained, standing and raising his hands as though he was a puppeteer. The insects began to follow him, even those that had escaped from their enclosures. "But, I wouldn't want to be here for that."

Their ship came hovering down on autopilot to a now collapsed wall, and insects began scurrying in as quickly as they could. Syrrus walked over to the wall, with Doctor Monogan running to catch up. "Good luck, Hamilton."

Their ship soared off, leaving the team sprinting for the exits as the building continued to collapse around them.

* * *

**R&R!**


	22. Main story - Bomb expert

**22****nd**** December 2013 Sunday**

**Day 356**

**9 days to go!**

**Merry Christmas eve eve eve! (Yes, I'm one of those). Hope everyone's getting pumped for the silly season!**

**Disclaimer: Got it on layby!**

* * *

"What was that?" Bream asked from their huddled group in the shelter. Sammy shook in fear on her lap.

"I don't know," Tung replied, glancing around the white cell-like room. "Maybe…we won?"

"I think you should go out there. Go help the team, I can stay here."

He hummed nervously in thought. "All right," he took a shaky step forward through the open door, but turned back with a surprise. Bream was standing right behind him, holding Sammy close to her and Winston Junior standing at her feet.

"We're ready when you are."

A huge grin replaced his look of shock, and, filled with a new confidence, the group made their way out of the shelter and through the crumbling hallways of the habitat.

* * *

"My God, what happened out here?" the girl voiced rhetorically as they tiptoed through the eerie setting. All around them lay piles of stone and crushed debris, leaving gaping holes in the ceiling and even, no rooms at all where there had been rooms before.

"Where are the insects?" Winston whispered from his spot, spying empty pavilion after empty pavilion. "Where is mom and dad?"

"We'll find them," she comforted, placing a hand on his head. "Now, where-"

"Cool, check this out!" Tung pointed happily to a large black box hidden under the control panel of the habitat, a red light blinking furiously. Bream's eyes widened in shock.

"Tung! We have to go!" she shouted, pulling on his arm. "Tung, that's a bomb. Tung, we have to go!"

"Oh come on, dude," he wrenched his arm from her grip. "I've seen plenty of spy movies. I know how to disarm a bomb."

The tracker pulled the black box out from underneath its hiding space, forcing the control box open and revealing a tangle of wires inside. Scanning the tabletop quickly, he grabbed a pair of pliers and held it up to the wire.

"It's always the black wire," he said with confidence, slowly closing the pliers down. Bream held her breath as Tung stopped, eyes flicking at the red wire beside it.

"Or…or maybe it's red…" he hummed in thought, removing the pliers from the previous wire. His eyes flashed over to the yellow wire. "Or maybe the yellow…no one ever suspects the yellow."

"Tung, we don't have time for this, either run or cut a wire!" Bream shouted, shielding the child in her arms. The frog boy held the pliers up to different wires, his face becoming clammy in sweat.

"Ok, I'm doing it. I'm cutting…the red…no, the black."

"Tung!"

In a second, Tung clamped the pliers down on the yellow wire, severing its connection. Everyone held their breath in that long second, praying for a miracle. Tung turned the black box around to the counter. It was flashing and no longer counting down.

"You did it!" Bream cheered loudly, followed by the happy cries of the kids. The girl bent down as quickly as she could, wrapping her free arm around his shoulders and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Yeah, uh, you know," he stammered bashfully, pulling at his collar to cool himself down. "Don't we have to find everyone else?"

* * *

**R&R!**


	23. Main story - Fresh start

**23****rd**** December 2013 Monday**

**Day 357**

**8 days to go!**

**Merry Christmas eve eve! And today, I wrap up my two stories, Harry Potter number four (4 down, 3 to go, I'm over the hump) and from one author to another, because it's always great to send out recommendations to everyone, I was also reading "The Red Carpet", a story published on FictionPress which despite being a cheesy romantic novel, I could not tear my eyes away, and I'm probably going to read more of her work too. Now, to find the next two books I'll read together…let's see what Christmas will bring me. **

**Disclaimer: I will literally write a script to an episode if that's what it takes. **

* * *

The ship hovered a safe distance from their island, everyone watching on with sad eyes at the crumbled building before them. Large chunks were missing from the roof, windows were smashed and towers were non-existent. In short, their home was unrecognisable.

"It's all gone," Dex whispered quietly to himself, though everyone around him heard. "All of my work, all of your work dad, it's…it's just gone in the blink of an eye."

Winston Senior placed a hand on his son's shoulder. "I wouldn't say all of it."

"What are you talking about?" the leader through his hands forward, gesturing out of the windscreen. "All the insects are gone; two lifetimes of trying to conserve alien species has been wasted."

"No it hasn't," Winston buried his hand deeply in to his pocket, producing a small notepad with pride. "I still have all my notes on my research."

Dex looked sceptically at the tiny, worn notebook. "No offence, dad, but I hardly think-"

"We managed to scrounge up the archive bots," Jenny contributed, pointing between herself and Zap. "They have all of your information stored in them from every single mission we've completed."

"You can't tell us that's no help," Zap smiled, pulling Jenny closer to him. Dex pulled a sad smile, his eyes cast to the ground.

"Thanks, and that is a big help, but it was the insects that we were trying to save. Now, they've been released back in to the wild that some of them are not accustomed to; that some don't know how to survive in."

Jane, who had been abnormally quiet while Dex continued his rant, eyed her children and Max suspiciously as they all nudged each other in the ribs and continued to keep their arms hidden behind them. When she caught Winston Junior's gaze, he quickly averted it, blushing deeply and scuffing his foot.

"Junior, what do you have behind your back?" she asked, catching everyone's attention. The team began to huddle around in curiosity as the children stared up at them, mustering innocent looks of shock.

"Nothing-"

"Junior," her voice was much stern, but amusement played on her lips. Casting a quick glance to Sammy, Winston nodded his head in defeat.

"We found them," he said, as the young girl pulled a tiny fist out from behind her and slowly open it. Inside, was a tiny gnirutam butterfly, pink wings fluttering gently as it remained in her hand.

Junior did the same, pulling his hands out and opening them. He held the tiny Boronian Spring Beetle he had caught for his first mission. Max pulled out his hands from behind him, holding a large egg in his grip.

"I found this in one of the enclosures," he said with a shrug of his shoulders. Dex took it in his hold, gazing upon it with great interest. Max cast a hopeful look up at him. "Maybe it could be in our new habitat?"

Dex gasped lightly, staring back down at the children who were already creating the new Hamilton Habitat collection.

"You know, we do have all the no-how and experience to create an insect habitat," Bream said thoughtfully with a huge smile. "Why don't we build a new one?"

The leader stood up, picking up his two children in the process while Max flew over to his mother. Jane and Dex walked to the windscreen, cuddling their children proudly.

"With a new family, it is about time for some new beginnings."

* * *

**R&R! **


	24. One shot - The night before Christmas

**24****th**** December 2013 Tuesday**

**Day 358**

**7 days to go!**

**Merry Christmas eve! (I'm wearing my Santa hat as I write this!) And just note, the build up to the holiday is the best part; that's why I like Christmas Eve better than Christmas. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the poem – that is registered trademark work from Clement Clark Moore. **

* * *

The toddler bounced in his bed, his parents resting on either side of him and both exhausted beyond compare.

"Come on, Mini Me," Zap said softly, his eyelids threatening to give way. "It's Christmas Eve and you have to go to bed. Santa won't come if you don't go to sleep; those are the rules."

"But I'm not tired, dad," Max debated, flipping in his race car bed in his reindeer onesie. Jenny caught him gently, pulling him back in to his bed and tucking him tightly in position.

"Just try, ok," she whispered, before planting a kiss on his forehead. Zap smiled as he ruffled his son's hair, before both parents made for the door.

"Mom?" he asked gingerly, sitting up and pulling the blanket in his hands. The couple stopped at the door and shuffled back in to the room. "Would you read me a story?"

She didn't let Max see her head drop with her sigh, as she quickly ushered Zap out of the room. "You go, I'll catch up."

The mother strode back to her spot, sitting next to her small son and making herself comfortable.

"Ok, what do you want to hear?"

"I don't know?" he shrugged his shoulders from under the blanket. "What do people normally read to kids on Christmas eve?"

A sparkle shone in the clone's eyes. "Wait, wait right here; Habi has something perfect in his archive."

The mother sprinted out, and quickly returned with the small, very agitated robot in her tight grasp.

"Habi, can we have the Habitat Christmas Story please?" she asked the bot politely. He rolled his eyes, albeit bemusedly, before flashing open his screen and presenting an electronic novel, complete with pictures. Jenny inhaled deeply, glanced over at her curious son staring at a picture in the lower corner, before she began to read.

_"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all thro' the habitat_  
_Not a creature was stirring, not even a Habibot;_  
_The stockings were hung by the enclosures with care,_  
_In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;_  
_The children were nestled all snug in their beds,_  
_While visions of large insects danc'd in their heads,_

_And Jenny in her 'kerchief, and Max in his cap,_  
_Had just settled their brains for a long winter's nap —_  
_When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,_  
_Max sprang from the bed to see what was the matter._

_Away to the window Max flew like a flash,_  
_Tore open the shutters, and threw up the sash._  
_The moon on the breast of the new fallen snow,_  
_Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below;_

_When, what to his wondering eyes should appear,_  
_But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer,_  
_With a little old driver, so lively and quick,_  
_He knew in a moment it must be St. Nick._

_More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,_  
_And he whistled, and shouted, and call'd them by name:_

_"Now! Dasher, now! Dancer, now! Prancer and Vixen,_  
_"On! Comet, on! Cupid, on! Donder and Blitzen;_  
_"To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!_  
_"Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!"_

_As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,_  
_When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;_  
_So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,_  
_With the sleigh full of toys — and St. Nicholas too:_

_And then in a twinkling, Max heard on the roof_  
_The prancing and pawing of each little hoof._  
_As Max drew in my head, and was turning around,_  
_Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound:_

_He was dress'd all in fur, from his head to his foot,_  
_And his clothes were all tarnish'd with ashes and soot;_  
_A bundle of toys was flung on his back,_  
_And he look'd like a peddler just opening his pack:_

_His eyes — how they twinkled! His dimples: how merry,_  
_His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry;_  
_His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,_  
_And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;_

_The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,_  
_And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath._  
_He had a broad face, and a little round belly_  
_That shook when he laugh'd, like a bowl full of jelly:_

_He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,_  
_And Max laugh'd when he saw him in spite of his self;_  
_A wink of his eye and a twist of his head_  
_Soon gave me to know Max had nothing to dread._

_He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,_  
_And fill'd all the stockings; then turn'd with a jerk,_  
_And laying his finger aside of his nose_  
_And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose._

_He sprung to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,_  
_And away they all flew, like the down of a thistle:_  
_But Max heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight –"_

Both Jenny and Max turned their heads to the window at a loud sound. Full of excitement and eagerness, Max flew from his bed and ran up to the window, while Jenny activated the shutter so they could both look out. Max rested his chin on the windowsill as his mother sat beside him, pulling him on to her lap. They both trailed the bright shooting star in front of them, mouths ajar with smiles as a voice cried out in to the night.

_"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night._"

* * *

**R&R! Have a good Christmas guys!**


	25. Main story - Christmas day

**25****th**** December 2013 Wednesday**

**Day 359**

**6 days to go!**

**Merry Christmas all! Hope you all got what you wanted (my new cat ears headband is awesome!) and I hope you all celebrated with your families and friends. And yeah, it was Santa in the last one, just to make it more special. **

**Disclaimer: Just today? Please, it didn't come in my stocking…**

* * *

The sun was far from rising, and the moon was still beaming down on all the citizens of Metro City, sound asleep and waiting for Christmas…

…except one little boy.

Winston tossed and turned, his eye poking open every now and again to observe the door. There was no way he could get to sleep now; not with the excitement of Christmas just a few hours away.

As quiet as a mouse, so as to not disturb the new alarms his mother had requested to install in his room, Winston slid out of his bed and advanced to the door, opening it with ease and tip-toeing outside.

"Surely Santa's been already," he whispered to himself in the darkness, his voice his only company as he made his way to his sister's room.

He crept quietly over to her bed, making sure not to startle her. Fortunately for Junior, Sammy sprang up the second her brother entered the room. A huge smile crossed her face.

"I can't sleep," she whispered, though to anyone else it would have just come out as childish babble. "I keep thinking Santa is here."

"Want to come with me and find the presents?"

She was easy to persuade, and, once Junior had managed to pull her out of her bed, they trudged off down the hall in search of the gifts.

* * *

Tip-toe by tip-toe, step by step, eventually the group passed a familiar door in the habitat, which, to their shock, opened quickly as they passed.

"What are you guys doing?" Max rubbed his tired eyes at the two standing in his doorway. They were frozen on the spot, but relaxed once they saw it was one of their allies.

"We're going to go and find the presents," Sammy informed, sharing a smile with her brother. Max's eyes widened, a twinkle just visible in the moonlight from an adjacent window.

"But my mom said we can't see the presents until morning," he said, glancing over to the window just in case he saw the sun.

Winston rolled his eyes. "We're just going to find them. We're not going to open them and play with them."

"Oh," the little bug boy exclaimed, letting his door shut behind him as he shrugged under his reindeer onesie. "I guess that's ok then."

* * *

They moved silently in a line, shadowed by the dark as they made their way towards the enclosure where the Christmas stockings were hung. Winston, in his Santa onesie, took the lead as he was wearing the brightest colour for all to see, and Sammy tried to stop the bells on her elf hat from jingling as they all reached the dividing sectors.

"Where are they?" Sammy asked as the little group came to a fork in the road. "This place seems a lot bigger and scarier at night."

"I can fly up and see if I can see anything?" Max suggested, but before he could jump to action, a noise shuffling behind him caught his attention. He spun around violently, startling his two companions as they narrowed their eyes in to the dark.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Uncle Tung?" they all shouted when the tracker moved in to the small sliver of light. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see what presents I got," he said casually. "Like I do every year."

"Will you show us where the stockings are?" Max asked, grasping his hands together in hopefulness. Tung lifted his nose in to the air, sniffing deeply for red velvet. His feet took him slowly in the opposite direction.

"It's this way; follow me kids."

* * *

"Well, it seems like we're all out of luck," all three children bowed their heads in sadness as Winston spoke. "I don't think Santa has come."

"Huh, that is weird," Tung analysed the empty red stockings hanging from a pavilion. "Normally they are full by this time-"

"That's because we knew you guys would go snooping."

The light turned on in the habitat, illuminating the other five very tired guests standing in the door. Jenny had her arms crossed across her chest, a smirk fighting on her lips. Dex and Jane seemed to be delivering the same smile at the sight of the shocked, caught-in-the-act children.

"We're sorry mom," Winston walked forward, before being taken in to his mother's grasp. "We just thought we'd see what presents we'd get."

"Well, if you'd have waited, we all could have woken up to this," Jane gestured behind her, and in an adjacent pavilion there was the stockings, full to the brim of wrapped presents and next to it, a giant table decorated for their Christmas feast. "But, seeing as we're all up now anyway-" she was met with a chorus of begrudgingly nodding heads, "I don't see why we can't get started on breakfast."

* * *

Wrapping paper littered the floor, joining the wrappers from the Christmas bon bons as everyone took their seats at the table, crepe paper hats on their heads. It took Zap a bit of convincing before finally putting the paper hat on his head and listening to what Dex had to say.

The leader stood at the head of the table, admiring the decorated table and all the smiling faces around it.

"A very merry Christmas to all," he said, playing with one of his daughter's pigtails as she sat next to him and giggled. "And let's not forget how important this holiday is to reflect on family-" he chanced a glance at the Monogans; Max sinking in his seat as his parents, seated on either side of their son, shared a kiss, "and the great friendships we share-" he looked over at Tung and Bream; the tracker reading out the bad joke from the cracker while the latter groaned amusedly at the punch line.

"And above all-" he saw his intermediate family looking up at him, smiling broadly at the family man. "-how it brings out the best in people, bringing everyone together in harmony and joy. Thank you for being the best crew an entomologist could ask for."

* * *

**R&R! Merry Christmas! **


	26. Main story - Steps

**26****th**** December 2013 Thursday**

**Day 360**

**5 days to go!**

**Happy Boxing day! And that feeling you get when you spend a lazy, warm day reading, ah it's just the best. A few empty slots here and there before the end of the year, but I'm confident I can fill it with stuff you guys will like. **

**Disclaimer: Despite not owning the show, over the course of this year I have come to own Winston Junior, Max and Sammy. My God, so much has changed. **

* * *

Tung paced back and forth in the control room, giving the people staring at him rhythmic headaches.

"Tung, seriously man, you don't need to worry about anything," Zap tried to comfort in a lazy voice. "Bream's still here, isn't she?"

"But what if she isn't?" the tracker mumbled shyly, tapping his hands together nervously. He nodded his head in Dex's direction. "What do you think?"

The leader sighed as he glanced between the worried frog boy and the laid back pilot. "Look, it's true, she's still with you after all this time, and yes, maybe you need to do something more if you're worried that she's losing interest, but that could mean anything; nice formal dinner, taking her out on the town. Not what you're thinking."

Tung glanced between Zap and Dex. "Do the girls talk about me at all?"

The older two exchanged looks, before turning forced gazes on to the walls opposite them.

"The girls…talk about everything," Zap began, his tone instilling fear in to the cowering boy. "But from what I've heard from Jenny, Bream seems to be happy here."

"Likewise from Jane," answered Dex with a smile. "See, you've got nothing to worry about."

"Would your wives have stayed if you didn't propose to them?"

"Yep," Zap answered with confidence, leaning back in his seat. "Jenny is the engineer here. We would've been happy not marrying but if we didn't, Max would have beaten us to it."

He chuckled to himself, but stopped at the sight of Dex's unamused stare. Tung nodded in his leader's direction. "Dex?"

"Well," he placed a hand on the back of his neck. "I'm not sure what we would've done if we didn't. We were ready for that step and we took it together, plus we were eager to start a family-"

He stopped upon spying the sad, drooping expression of Tung.

"But, I guess what we're both saying is-"

"Stay in the neutral zone, man," the pilot interrupted, standing up. "Now, if you'll excuse me, unlike you, I have a kid, and responsibilities. My advice is don't take the next step if you don't think you can handle the step after that. And the step after what you're thinking is kids. Are you ready to be a dad?"

He left with a smirk on his face at the stunned frog boy, who turned pleadingly to the leader when he scoffed in derision.

"Don't listen to him," he said with a wave of his hand. He leant forward on his chair, the same way a parent would to a child. "I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Zap; take yourself to the next level, and then work yourself out from there. I only say that, if you're absolutely sure about a proposal to Bream, then do it, but I feel that maybe there could be a more simpler step beforehand that will convince her you are worth sticking around for."

He whispered in Tung's ear, indistinct but comprehensible enough for the tracker to hear. His eyes widened behind his red goggles as Dex stood up, both of them sharing a knowing smile.

"That's brilliant, Dex," he beamed proudly up at his boss. "The perfect step I'm willing to take."

* * *

**R&R!**


	27. Multichapter - Switched

**27****th**** December 2013 Friday**

**Day 361**

**4 days to go!**

**With 4 days to go, who says I can't put a double multichapter in for funsies! This one is dedicated to GenieForYourWish26, I'm so sorry it's late, but to make up for it I'm going to do exactly what you wanted. Multi is disconnected to main story plot. **

**Disclaimer: No matter how little I own, please don't take what is not yours. **

* * *

"Man, this storm is out of control," Jenny mused as she ensured the safety of the habitat's security system. "Any more damage to this place and we could be in serious trouble."

Zap, who was still up, smirked at the worry in the clone's voice. "You say that every week, and still every week we're fine."

"I know, but I guess the one time I won't worry about it, that'll be the day something happens."

A loud crack of thunder rolled across them, causing one of the screens to flicker with static. "Oh no," Jenny tapped at a small button on the panel, but the screen remained non-functional. With a heavy sigh she stood up and advanced to the door, Zap watching with his eyebrows knotted as she pulled down her coat.

"Where are you going?"

"Well someone has to fix the wiring. I'm the only one who knows how to," she argued, pulling the jacket over her shoulders. The pilot scoffed as he stood up and walked towards her.

"There's no way you're going out in that," his only response was a deadpanned expression. "I'll go instead."

"No, you don't know what needs to be fixed. I'm going."

"You can just message me. I'm going."

"The communications are down because of that signal fault. I'm going."

"Look, why don't we just go together. We can fix this problem quicker if we cut this fight short," he glared back at her, mirroring her challenging expression.

"Fine."

"Fine."

* * *

"So, what do you need me to do?" Zap cried over the wailing wind, squinting to see Jenny through the plummeting sheets of rain. He was probably wrong, but he could've sworn he saw her roll her eyes.

"Bring that wire from over there," she pointed to a red wire flailing about near the edge of the roof. "We need to connect these two together."

With difficulty, the pilot flew to the other wire and caught it in his grasp, flying back against the strong wind to the engineer.

"Great, now we'll just connect them," she shouted, holding up her wire. The wind pushed her backwards, but the bug boy's quick thinking caught her by her hand. They both thanked the dark sky from hiding their blush.

Zap held up his wire, and just as the metal inside connected, a bolt of lightning struck down to the cords, electrifying the circuit between the pilot, Jenny and the wire.

The clone squealed in reflex, before the shock of the attack threw both of them backwards, unconscious on the roof.

* * *

Zap was the first to wake up, groaning under his charred face.

"What happened?" he moaned, wiping away the dirt and rainwater from his eye with a yellow glove. His eyes widened dramatically.

_Yellow glove?_

Standing up quickly and trying to ignore the throbbing head rush, Zap gasped as he saw…himself lying down on the ground. Slowly, he moved to life.

"Ugh, Zap?" he asked, pulling himself to a standing position. They both stared at each other, wide eyed and stunned.

"You're me!" Zap shouted, pointing to his body. Jenny looked down at herself, spying a black pilot uniform.

"You're me!" Jenny replied from inside Zap's body, feeling incredibly creeped out by the fact that she was staring at herself.

"Change us back!" Zap shouted, whining in Jenny's voice. The clone looked down at the hands which were not her own.

"I can't," she said, taking shaky, heavy steps in her new brown boots. "I don't know what happened."

"You're supposed to be the smart one!" he shouted back, and to his surprise, Jenny started laughing.

"Can you imagine what someone would think if they saw us now," she said, doubling over in laughter. "I mean, I would never say you were the smart one. This is just too weird."

"Ok, well how do we fix this?" he said, crossing Jenny's arms himself. "I would kind of like my body back."

"I don't know, this is kind of cool," Jenny turned around and activated Zap's wings, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder. "See, pretty neat."

"I know," he rolled Jenny's eyes before smirking. "Man, I finally understand why you roll your eyes all the time. It feels normal in this body."

Jenny suddenly stopped flashing Zap's wings, spreading a thin line on Zap's mouth. "Ok, I get it. We should get Dex and see if he knows."

"Fine."

"Fine."

* * *

The door slid open, revealing the switched, drenched crew members. Dex leaned back in his chair to get a better look, unable to remove the smile on his face.

"Wow, what happened to you guys?" he asked, spinning in his chair to face them.

Zap, in Jenny's body, sighed loudly. "Don't ask, dude."

Jenny, in Zap's body, looked at her with a shocked expression, while Dex did the same.

"Sorry?"

"I mean," Zap corrected himself, thinking back to something Jenny would say. There was no way they could explain their situation to their leader, it was just to strange to comprehend. So he just went with it. "Just a…malfunction in the…connection of the…electro…wire…thingys."

Their leader cocked an eyebrow, and Jenny – inside Zap – subtly placed her hands to her eyes in embarrassment.

"Well, ok," Dex shrugged, ignoring the abnormality of the situation. "So long as everything is under control."

He missed the subtle glance the two people in front of him shared as he moved away, retiring for the night.

* * *

"Ok, the scanner says there's another storm tomorrow," Jenny said as she typed on Zap's communicator. "We'll go back up to the roof then and see if we can change back. Just…go to bed in your clothes and please avoid going to the bathroom as much as you can."

Zap, as Jenny, smirked at the obvious worry spread on his own face. He shrugged as they reached Jenny's door to her room. "Fine, but that is going to be hard."

Jenny, as Zap, rubbed the back of her neck bashfully as she stared at herself. "Thanks for clearing yourself up with Dex. I understand that we could probably fix this problem on our own."

The pilot shrugged under his pink uniform. "Yeah, we'll just deal with this tomorrow."

"Ok, good night," Jenny walked away to Zap's room, unaware of her own eyes on her. Zap sighed as he watched himself walk away.

"Good night."

* * *

**So confusing, but seriously enjoyable to write. Sorry it's short but I had to sum up quickly, and I'll finish off the story tomorrow. R&R! **


	28. Multichapter - In your shoes

**28****th**** December 2013 Saturday**

**Day 362**

**3 days to go!**

**Summing up the last of the 'body-switching' story, and the rest of the year is officially planned. I just need to get typing to word document. **

**Disclaimer: I own the rights to my characters…the rest…um…I'll get back to you on that. **

* * *

Zap woke that morning with hardly a stir, as though he had had the best sleep in his life. Golden sunshine fell on him through Jenny's window, and it was in that second that he remembered his awkward situation with her.

He was in her body.

The pilot groaned loudly, pulling the blanket over his head before rolling off the bed, his own way to actually get himself to get up. He emerged from the clone's bed sheet, which was now thrown haphazardly on the ground to her bathroom in the desire to brush his teeth, until a light tapping was heard at the door.

Jenny looked hardly shocked as the door opened to reveal herself, but what did catch her eye was the blanket on the ground.

"Ugh, how could you just leave it there?" the pilot's body moved across the room and threw the blanket back on to the bed. "You could at least make the bed. I made yours."

Zap scoffed as he watched himself tuck the corners of the spread underneath the mattress in a clearly rehearsed fashion. "Seriously? I haven't made my bed since I got here."

"Whatever," she stood up, placing her now blue eyes on to herself slouched against the wall. "Ok, we just need to act like each other for the rest of the day until tonight. We'll meet at dusk on the roof and I'll disconnect the cords. Hopefully it will work. Can you please promise me to behave yourself for twelve hours?"

"Only if you promise me to act like a slob for twelve hours," a sly grin crossed his face, and he held out a yellow glove for confirmation. Jenny sighed heavily, taking her own hand in to Zap's.

"It's going to be hard on both of us."

* * *

"Everyone, I need hard workers today. Zap and Tung, you're on the Pryo-ants; you'll have to go through the Arthur Beetle enclosure to get to them so please make sure you don't let him escape. Oh, and make sure you've got fire extinguishers on standby with the ants."

He turned with a smirk to the clone. "Jenny, we're on a complete system reboot today. Very routine day for you. Should be good, right?"

Zap blinked stupidly at the leader, before he shook Jenny's head in understanding that Dex was actually addressing him. "Oh…yeah…totally…yes."

The pilot glanced over to Tung and his own body, a look of pleading approval etched on the clone's face. All Jenny did was lower Zap's eyelids in embarrassment.

"Are you sure you're ok? You've been acting strange since yesterday. Perhaps you caught a fever in the rain," Dex chuckled, his eyes studying the engineer with humour and worry.

"No no, I'm fine," Zap debated, waving Jenny's hands in front of her face. "We'll just…get started."

* * *

"Ok, I've got a fire extinguisher for you, me and a back-up one in case one runs out. The Arthur beetle tends to feed around noon so we can sneak in while it is distracted-"

"Whoa, dude, why are you so organised?" Tung interrupted, eyes wide as Jenny counted off her check list on Zap's fingers. "You're starting to act like Jenny."

"No I'm not!" she shouted, but quickly returned to what she hoped was a laid back stance the pilot usually took on. "I mean, whatever…man."

Tung hummed in a bid to cover the awkwardness in the air. "Speaking of whom, I've been thinking about what you said about her last week, and-"

"Whoa, what did he say about me?" Jenny said sharply. It took a moment, plus the puzzled look from Tung, to realise what she had just said. "Uh, I mean, I forgot; what did I say last week?"

"You said I wonder if she feels out of place being the only female on the team," he began, unaware of how Jenny began to clench Zap's teeth. "But then you went in to that huge speech about how she approaches everything with ferocity and fearlessness. Seriously dude, I can't believe you don't remember what you said. You went in to a lot of detail."

He glanced to the side, smiling as he caught sight of the pilot's smirk. But inside, Jenny was beaming.

* * *

"Oh, my head," Zap complained as his fingertips moved in comforting circles on his temples. He was staring at a large blank screen that only held a tiny circle in the centre, moving around to represent its loading stage. To try and avoid asking Dex weird questions about something Jenny would do so routinely, he had to force himself to read page after page of the manuals lying in heavy, dusted stacks under the control panel. Bags were starting to form under Jenny's eyes as Zap moved her hands down her face in an exhausted manner.

A small box popped up on the screen, startling the bug boy with its noise. He squinted Jenny's eyes to read the text within.

"Do you wish to save "JE7.4.00" before completing back up?" he read. The boy released a groan again, putting his head in his hands. "I don't know what that is! What is JE7.4.00?"

He clicked the "open file" box at the bottom of the dialogue box, if only to see what his was. His eyes sparkled mischievously at the heading, finally understanding the title of the saved document.

"Journal Entry" he mused, seeing it as the last recorded document before the two had changed bodies. Zap had opened the page to Jenny's secret diary!

He couldn't help himself, he scrolled and scrolled and scrolled through a magnitude of words and paragraphs, most of it boring information on their latest insect discovery or perhaps her new ideas for inventions. Once again, Zap let Jenny's head weigh itself down with boredom, letting her cheek fall in to her fisted hand.

Finally, at the end of the document, he found something that caught his eye. _Zap. _His name. He was mentioned in her journal. He quickly sat up, ensured himself that Dex was well absorbed in the latest financial development pressed against the town from the habitat before he allowed himself to read on.

_"…but really, that idea is more of a pipe dream. I wish people wouldn't laugh when they heard my ideas. I know they can be stupid, but they're inspiring, especially to me. Maybe I'm just showing my ideas to the wrong people, like Zap. They have no idea how seeing my designs is like, seeing a page in this journal, or sharing a deep secret with me. It's personal and really makes me vulnerable when I put it on display. I suppose I shouldn't worry. Maybe he just does it to be cool. Zap may put on this persona of an uncaring bad boy, but I feel, I know, he has a soft centre to him. Someone just needs to break through that hard exterior he's created for himself-"_

"Jenny?" the pilot jumped at the noise, quickly saving the document and removing it from the screen. He spun around in the chair, pulling a forced smile to the leader.

"Yes boss?"

"I was wondering if you could help me with this lawsuit," he held up a piece of paper, though at their distance it was impossible to read. "If anyone can find a loophole, it would be you."

"Actually, no can do," he said, glancing to the window and noticing the blackened sky. "I've got to go out on the roof."

"Right now? But it just started to rain," he cast a worried glance to the window himself, seeing it littered with flecks of water. "You can't; you'll make that cold worse. I want you to stay put-"

Dex looked up, and spying an empty chair in front of him, realised he was speaking to no one. He lowered his head back down to his work, muttering as he went. "No one listens to me."

* * *

Outside, Jenny was already on the roof inside Zap's body. She had his arms crossed over his chest in a bid to keep herself warm as raindrops as cold as ice pricked his pale skin. The body of the clone came soon after, using her coat as an umbrella against the weather.

"Thanks for coming," Jenny said, staring at herself. "I was starting to worry."

"Wouldn't miss it," he shouted to himself over the loud clap of thunder. They both turned to the horizon, seeing bright flashes of white light illuminate the dark clouds. "Let's get our bodies back."

Jenny smiled brightly inside Zap. "Can't come sooner; do you know how hard it is to be you? I don't know how you pull yourself awake to cater to all of Dex's small needs."

The clone's shoulders shrugged. "I get used to it. And doing that is nothing compared to your job. A complete system reboot! I had to read your manuals to find out what that was."

Jenny laughed, but immediately scrambled to her feet for the loose wires. "Quick, take one and get ready."

Zap obliged, and as he held the wire in one hand, he looked curiously at the other.

"We're we doing something with this hand?" he held up Jenny's hand, and the clone gasped in surprise. Quickly, she clutched her hand with his.

"We were holding hands! That's how it happened. Quick, hold on tight," Jenny glanced back at the clouds, noticing the lightning flashing at closer intervals. "Complete the circuit. Hold the wires up."

They held them up, the metal inside one touching the other. Both the clone and the pilot screwed their eyes shut in anticipation. The bright line of light struck down between them, sending its pulse through the wire. The pair were thrown backwards again, charred from its effects as they groggily stood up.

"Are you?"

"Are you?"

Jenny glanced down, turning her yellow-gloved hands over. She looked up in delight, a huge smile splitting over her face.

"It worked. It worked!" she shouted, jumping up and down on the spot. She ran forward, looking as though she was about to embrace him in a tight hug, but she came to an abrupt halt. Her eyes locked with his, both unsure at the next move.

Zap moved his arm up to his neck quickly, before making the quick decision to hug her himself. He drew her close, wrapping his arms around her smaller frame to shelter her from the rain. She felt herself wrap her arms around his torso; warm and steady from his heartbeat.

"I'm glad I'm not you anymore," Jenny mumbled, her face still buried in his uniform. She felt him chuckle above her.

"I'm glad I'm not you, too," he said, shifting apart from her. "Seriously, do you know how insulting it is when someone laughs at my blueprint schematics? I mean, it's like I'm put on display and they don't even care."

He watched, amused as her mouth contorted to shock.

"You read my journal?" she shouted, throwing a punch to his arm. The pilot recoiled, rubbing his arm but still smiling.

"I didn't read it; Jenny did," he replied smugly, still smiling even though the engineer's gaze had turned thoughtful.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But man, I'm glad to be the only female on the team again," she began, watching as Zap's mouth slowly opened. "That way I can approach anything with ferocity and fearlessness."

Zap no longer looked shocked; instead, an expression of pure rage crossed his face as he glanced away. "I am going to kill Tung."

The clone chuckled, grabbing hold of the pilot's collar and pulling herself closer to him. Neither had realised that the rain around them softened. "I think you're going to want to thank him first," she said, as the two smiled at each other, leaning in closer until their noses grazed, sending shivers down their spines that no rain could. He brought his hand to her cheek, moving the wet hair from her face as he pulled her towards him.

"I know I don't like being you, but you being you is all I ask," Zap said, smiling as he felt Jenny smile against his lips.

* * *

**I'm happy with the length of these ones. And wow, if this is the kind of writing I get from reading a classic novel, onwards I say! R&R! Hope you enjoyed it GenieForYourWish26! **


	29. Songfic - Peppermint winter

**29****th**** December 2013 Sunday**

**Day 363**

**2 days to go!**

**Out all day; nice road trip to visit family so I'm posting a songfic I always planned for December. I know it's another Owl City song…that's why it's great! Lyrics first and then scene adjoining it.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the show or the song. (Most normal disclaimer in a while.)**

* * *

_There's the snow  
Look out below  
And bundle up  
'Cause here it comes_

Tung ran to the window at the first glimpse of snow. He turned, beckoning the others to come and see. They all looked out, spying the ground now covered in a layer of white down below.

"What are we waiting for?" Jenny said, as she ran to get her coat. The rest of the team followed suit, bundling up in preparation to embrace the cold.

_Run outside  
So starry eyed  
A snowball fight breaks out  
And winter has finally begun_

The clone was the first to race outside, staring up at the snowflakes falling with a sparkle in her eyes. She was distracted, however, when a small snowball struck the back of her neck. She spun around, noticing snowballs in every crew member's hands and, with her own grin, scooped up a lump of snow and joined in on the fight.

_I twirl through the driveway with angelic grace  
'Til I slip on the sidewalk and fall on my face  
This peppermint winter is so sugar-sweet  
I don't need to taste to believe_

_What's December without Christmas Eve?_

When the snowball fight died down, the crew went for a lazy walk. They moved together slowly up the frozen drive, with Jenny twisting and twirling with a skip in her step. She lost her footing on the icy surface, and, through reflex, grabbed hold of the nearest object to her. Zap came tumbling down with her, accidently landing on top of the girl. They both blushed deeply at their awkward position, hardly helped by the laughter from Dex and Tung. Zap stood up quickly and offered his hand, to which Jenny accepted immediately.

"I have something to show you," she whispered in his ear once he pulled her up, and together, hand in hand, the two sprinted over the snow and towards the habitat's hanging bay.

_Hop in the sleigh  
And we'll glide away  
Into the night  
And we'll sip on moonlight_

They entered the garage, and Zap raised an eyebrow at the large object in front of him covered by a sheet. Jenny pulled it off in one quick tug, reveal a sleek, black motorised sleigh.

"I was saving this for Christmas, but, the snow is so good. Wanna take it for a spin?"

His grin grew ten-fold as he jumped on to the seat, patting the space behind him. "Well hop on."

They glided together, eyes covered by their goggles to deflect the snow. They rode until night fell and the moon shone brightly, stopping their ride near an old tree. Zap pulled out two hot chocolates from the cup holders and with Jenny, both enjoyed the scenic view around them.

_Runny nose  
My frosty toes  
Are gettin' cold  
But I feel alive so I smile wide_

They remained there for what seemed like hours, and Zap became fully aware of his constant sniffing, and the numbness in his toes. Jenny was very content in her spot and, without realising, rest her head against the pilot's shoulder. Zap looked over at her with a shocked expression, but his face was immediately replaced with a wide smile.

_The snowflakes start falling and I start to float  
'Til my mean, older brother stuffs snow down my coat  
This peppermint winter is so sugar-sweet  
I don't need to taste to believe_

_What's December without Christmas Eve?_

As a light snow began to fall again, Zap stood up and took Jenny's hand in his. He pulled her towards him and then slowly off the ground, in a romantic dance in the sky. Their moment was cut short as a snowball struck Zap's head, sending the pair back down to the ground. Dex and Tung were holding snowballs with mischievous grins, and quickly, another snowball fight broke out.

_All this holiday cheer  
Heaven knows where it goes, but it returns every year  
And though this winter does nothing but storm  
The joy in my heart is ablaze and it's keeping me warm_

_It's keeping me warm  
It's keeping me warm_

Zap looked around the room, everything he saw illuminated with a warm sensation. The fire crackled, the smell of food wafted in the air and twinkling lights sparkled above the entire crew. He glanced to the window where the storm had grown fierce, but he turned away to look at the tree. Jenny and Tung were decorating it together. The engineer glanced up, locking eyes with his. A small smile graced her lips and, in return, the pilot's heart swelled inside his chest as he smiled back.

_I rip off the wrapping and tear through the box  
'Til I end up with 45 new pairs of socks  
This peppermint winter is so sugar-sweet  
I don't need to taste to believe_

_What's December without Christmas Eve?_

The crew was seated around the fireplace, though due to lack of seating, Zap and Jenny were snuggled in to the same armchair. Dex handed them each a present, which they realised was from the other. They tore through the wrapping with eagerness, finding multiple pairs of socks within both boxes. Laughing, they both pulled a pair of socks on to their hands, before wrapping each other in a hug. They separated; the laughter had stopped yet had softened to a giggle. Tung cleared his throat to catch their attention, and once he knew he had it, pointed upwards. Zap and Jenny looked up, finding a sprig of mistletoe attached to the roof above their head. They slowly craned their necks down to look at one another, and very slowly, brought their lips together to the sound of Tung and Dex's applause, and the crackling of the fire; socks still adoring their hands.

* * *

**Oh, I listened to this song when I was making our Christmas roast! It's just so sweet! R&R!**


	30. Main story - Reunion to remember

**30****th**** December 2013 Monday**

**Day 364**

**1 day to go!**

**Whoops, that was supposed to be mistletoe but don't worry, I've fixed it. Holly and mistletoe are interchangeable to me. The second last day, and I'm so excited. This challenge has given me deadlines (so I've finally been able to get to the parts I've wanted to without being stuck), lengthy plots and thanks to March Entertainment, amazing, audience-catching characters. **

**Disclaimer: I should have just written one disclaimer at the start of the year. Is it too late?**

* * *

New Year's eve had fallen on the crew once again. But this time, it was different. They had decided to hold a party at their newly refurbished habitat, though you couldn't tell it had crumbled to pieces a few months prior considering Dex didn't want to change much in the new designs. Enhanced pavilions which greatly benefitted the insects were installed, and new technology was instilled in to the computer devices. The money donated from the mayor also went to upgrading the ship, much to the entomologist's delight.

Right now, the control room was decorated simplistically in anticipation for the guests. The families hung around in their own little circles, while Tung bounced around chasing Winston, who was holding the remote protectively to his chest. He ran up to his father, the leader scooping him up and holding him high above his head.

"What have you got there little one?" he asked, eyes quickly spying the remote in his son's grip.

"I have the remote!" he held it up proudly. "Tung and I were looking for it, but I found it first."

The tracker came panting up to the pair, clutching his knees as he spoke. "Geez, how much fitness did you programme in to him?"

"Oh, that's right. Habi filmed Tung's acceptance speech. Let's play it," Dex smiled brightly, gently prying the device from his son and aiming it at the television. The entire crew turned to the source of the noise, hearing the all too familiar voice of "Chet Reynolds: local reporter" speak in to the microphone.

"_Today, a winner was found among us in the most unusual way. Normally out fighting against alien insects to ensure the safety of their town-"_

"_Ah, not fighting," Dex interrupted, taking the microphone briefly in to his own hand while Chet tried to wrestle it back. "Not fighting, we're trying to create peace between them and humans-"_

_The reporter managed to take a hold of his microphone once again, shooting Dex a stern glare. "As I was saying, normally out patrolling our town for insects, one member of the Hamilton Habitat crew has outshone the rest, claiming a winning prize for entering a video competition. Tung, what was this competition about?"_

"_Well, Chet," the tracker began, looking away shyly. "I filmed the crazy happenings that went on at our habitat for the last couple of years. We all made it special with marriages, new babies and many exciting adventures, and they even came in handy while we tried to revive an amnesic patient. And I won a prize for one hundred dollars."_

_The tracker beamed happily towards Chet's camera, unaware that the report's mouth was hanging open. _

"_This was all for one hundred dollars?" he questioned through his teeth, Tung watching nervously as the older man's brow furrowed. He walked up to the camera, signalling it to terminate by waving his hand in front of his neck. "This is what they put me on? I can't believe it. You make one mistake and you're put on pity news for the public-"_

The screen went blank, yet everyone remained staring at it with amused and puzzled expressions. Jenny was the first to break the silence.

"Well, it's true, it was a big deal for only one hundred dollars," she said, shifting Max in her arms. Tung turned to her, flashing a single note in her face.

"Yep, and I won it fair and square," he brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. "Though, technically I have you to thank. The people I sent the videos in to thought the parts with you guys in it were the best."

Jenny's smile was distracted as a noise omitted from the door. She handed Max over to Zap, briefly touching Tung on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

"Who's at the door?" Bream asked from her side of the room, quickly joined by Tung. The clone shrugged, but activated the button on the wall.

A surplus of blue-haired girls filled everyone's vision; each of them talking loudly as they spilled in the room. "Oh wow," Jenny said, but quickly corrected it to a sweet smile. She held out her arms to hug her family, but was surprised as they immediately moved past her in a huge herd…straight towards Max.

"Oh, he is so cute."

"He is so adorable."

"I swear, he takes those green eyes after me!"

"Actually," Jenny interrupted, moving in to the group where she fell in camouflage with the rest. "He has my eyes, he's my son."

"I delivered him!" Jenny 1 raised her hand in the air, turning proudly to grin at all her sisters. "I did! I was there when he was born! I delivered him!"

"Wow," Jenny 5 interrupted with a snap. "We get it."

Max, who was trapped in the middle of all of us, continued to stare wide-eyed and frightened between all the women who resembled his mother.

"So, you guys are my aunts?"

The girls dropped their eyes to the child, then to their sister, who was grinning widely.

"Jenny?" the first clone spoke again. "He inherited your genius!"

The fawning continued over the child, with many cheek pinches and surprise little toys handed around to all the kids. Max rested his hands behind his head, leaning back smugly in to his father's chest at the amount of attention he was receiving.

The doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it," Jane announced, making sure Sammy was seated comfortable on the ground with her new plush bug toy. The mother opened the door, revealing a large green couple and a small little fish girl wrapped around their ankles.

"Dad!" Bream shouted, running forward to hug her father. Threadfin lifted his daughter in a bone-crushing hug. Marina and Coral moved in to the room upon request, smiling at the reunion. Bream was quick to greet them too.

"Come on inside, come meet the rest of the crew," she ushered, showing them around to all within the room.

Jenny stood on the sidelines with Zap, smiling at the four kids Max, Winston, Sammy and Coral admiring their new gifts, all the clones gossiping and speaking loudly, trying to fill in the last year of being absent, and Bream pulling her father's sleeve with Marina in tow as she brought them up to meet Tung.

"It's a pretty good family, isn't it," her husband leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Much different from what we grew up with."

"Yeah it is," she mused, though her mind was set elsewhere, waiting for that noise to occur again. It worked, as the doorbell sounded once again. Zap cocked an eyebrow.

"Are we expecting someone else?" he questioned, meeting Jenny's casual stare. She walked with him to the door, weaving through people in the crowded room.

"I decided to invite someone else," she said loudly so her voice didn't get lost in the crowd.

"Ugh, it's not Tung's uncle Leech, is it?" he groaned. Jenny held her gloved hand to her mouth to suppress a giggle.

"No, it's not him; they're busy with their annual bug ceremony," replied the engineer, activating the door. It opened to reveal a shy ladybug boy, his knees knocking together whether from the cold or from nervousness. The pilot's eyes widened at the shaking mess holding a dying bouquet of flowers and a bottle of champagne.

"Hi Lenny," Jenny beamed, smiling sweetly at the boy.

"Hi," he squeaked, though as soon as he noticed Jenny's smile, he calmed down considerably. The ladybug nervously held the bouquet to Jenny. "These are for you. I guess…you're my sister-in-law now."

"Yeah, I guess I am," she flashed a grin to Zap, who returned it immediately. The couple stepped aside, ushering the poor boy inside.

"Wont's you come in and meet your other sister-in-laws? There are nine others. You also have a nephew," Jenny offered, gesturing over to the large group where the girls had resumed their admiration of the tots.

Lenny stared with a gobsmacked expression at the amount of people. "But…I've never had a family before."

"Well," Zap said cheerily as he patted Lenny on the back. "You have one know. Come on, bro, I want to show you my kid."

They moved towards the group, everyone smiling at the sight of Max, Zap and Lenny all showing off their wings to the other members. Everyone talked, laughed, ate and even a few photos were taken, until one clone glanced to the window.

"Hey, it sounds like they're releasing the first of the fireworks," Jenny 4 mused, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Come on, let's go check them out."

* * *

**R&R! And tomorrow is the last. **


	31. Main story - Happy new year

**31****st**** December 2013 Tuesday**

**Day 365**

**I did it! I can't believe I did it! Oh my God I'm so – just so happy! After many amusing and heartbreaking plots, and many frozen cokes and packets of Twisties (because life's too straight without them) I am finally on to the last chapter. Happy New Year everyone! **

**And now, to find out what Dex whispered to Tung. **

**I look forward to chatting with you guys in the chatroom (#dexhamilton on DeviantArt). I'll put a journal up of times, maybe, or perhaps we should meet in there once a week or once a month (16****th****, perhaps?)**

**Disclaimer: For 365 consecutive days of work, I own it!**

* * *

The team, and then some, filed out in to the perfect night air, each family group finding a viewing spot from a balcony now situated on the major tower of Hamilton Habitat.

On the bottom level, nine of the Jenny clones were shouting and whooping as colours of light exploded in front of them. Even Lenny summed up enough courage himself to join the girls, all toasting to a great New Year.

Above the noisy crowd, Coral sat on her new father's shoulders, with Marina holding his arm tightly to her.

"Wow, they're so pretty," the little girl admired, fireworks reflecting in her giant eyes. Threadfin chuckled loudly, Coral bouncing in synchronisation with his shoulders. He pulled her down, letting her hold on to the railing of the balcony in front of them.

"Threadfin has seen bigger, and prettier," he explained proudly, smiling at how his new family hung on every single one of his words. "You wait until the clock strikes twelve, Coral. Then you will see what Threadfin has seen."

"Marina is only glad to see Threadfin," said the older woman, holding her hands on either side of his face. Threadfin pulled his face in to a smile, the bristles from his beard parting to reveal his teeth. He leant forward, smirking as he caught Coral's disgusted expression from the corner of his eye. The little girl turned away, staring eagerly skyward as fireworks continued to splash and colour the night sky.

* * *

Above, Dex stood with his arms wrapped around Jane's waist, two little children running around their ankles in the excited moment. His father was standing at the doorway to the balcony, leaning against the frame as he watched the sky display. The leader rested his head on to his wife's shoulder, both sighing together as they enjoyed the show before them.

"Hey," Dex whispered in Jane's ear, knowing he had her attention when she shifted her head. "Can you believe…that it is the anniversary of the night I proposed to you?"

"Oh, my God," the mother smiled brightly, separating herself from her husband. She scooped Winston in to her arms, kissing his cheek while Dex lifted Sammy in to his hold. "And I can't believe how much has changed since then."

"Yeah, thanks for giving me such an amazing family," he mused, sitting his daughter on the railing and rubbing his nose against hers. Sammy giggled while Junior, only so tall, pulled himself up so he was resting his head on his crossed arms leaning over the railing, legs wrapped around the support beam below.

"Well thank you," Jane pulled the entomologist in to a hug, pressing her cheek against his chest. "I didn't know a family was a possibility until you came along."

The parents hauled their kids up to sit on the railing, Dex holding Sammy behind him while Jane held on to Winston. "It's been a great few years filled with many surprises and memories. Let's hope the next few years are just as full."

Both Dex and Jane leant their heads on the top of their offspring, but it wasn't long until something distracted them. From above, something small came floating down to their balcony level, in particular, in front of Dex and Sammy.

Max hovered a little distance away, and very shyly, held out a modest flower in front of Sammy. The rest of the family spread similar sly grins at the sight, while the tiny daughter stared at the flower with a stunned expression. Her brown-y red eyes locked to his green, which remained there as the little bug boy hovered forward and placed the gift in her hand, his face dramatically as red as his father's used to be whenever he saw Jenny close to him. Sammy looked down at the flower while Max took his opportunity to fly away. He landed on the balcony above where his parents were, panting as though he had just run a marathon. Dex's daughter looked around to the rest of her family, all smiling widely at her. Jane nudged her elbow in to her daughter's side.

"Oh, somebody likes you," she said in a sing-song voice, covering the light laugh from Winston. A light blush spread on the girl's cheeks, unable to contain her giggling grin. Dex, with amusement in his voice, dropped his head and shook it, arms still wrapped around Sammy's waist.

"I thought you said I'd never have to see that again," he chuckled, draping his arm over Jane's shoulder and kissing the side of her head. The mother looked up, spying to very happy young parents beaming down at them, with Max sitting on the balcony railing and smiling.

"Here we go again," Zap shouted to them, both he and Jenny laughing.

"Yeah, only this time it actually is my daughter," the leader shouted back, leaning backwards over the railing to address them.

Jenny bent forwards over her balcony, smiling as she shouted. "Hey in-laws!"

"Oh, struth!" Dex chuckled loudly for all to hear, relishing in the combined laughter of all his close family and friends around him. "I really don't need to hear that."

Jenny and Zap faced each other, shoulders bouncing as they laughed.

"Ah, well done little dude," Zap said, holding up a fist and tapping his knuckles against his son's.

"Yeah, and you definitely got your courage from my side. Your dad took forever to admit he liked me," Jenny smirked, nodding her head with Habibot who had decided to rest on her shoulder.

"Hey," Zap said, mockingly glaring at Jenny. "We Monogan men wait for romantic settings, like New Year's Eve…or weddings!"

The engineer chuckled as she pulled Max in to a hug, the pilot smirking at the sight.

"I'd do it all again, you know."

"What?" Jenny asked, though the question was rhetorical. "Me punching you in the nose, me rejecting you at Dex and Jane's wedding, me almost dying giving birth to Max, and not to mention our latest incident which we decided to forget?"

She looked up from fiddling with Max's attire, only to lock eyes with her husband's. His gaze had never moved from hers as she spoke.

"As long as I end up with you, right here, then I could do it all again," he whispered, placing a hand in the small of her back. She smiled as she turned to face him.

"Well, our wedding vows did say we'd have an exciting life," she said, bringing her arms around his shoulders. "And we can honestly say that our life has not been boring."

Zap brought his lips down to hers, the couple ignorant of their child who was leaning over the railing, rolling his eyes at the sight. A particularly bright firework exploded in front of them, startling the pair out of their kiss.

"Wow, look at that one!" Max shouted, flying off the balcony with his dad in tow.

"Yeah, wow, let's go and check them out, Bug," the boys flew out further as more fireworks littered the sky, completely oblivious to Jenny's calls of 'careful' to them, sighing and rolling her eyes at her two boys.

* * *

From above, at the highest balcony stood Bream and Tung, convinced that they had the best view. Bream had her arms crossed over her chest to protect herself from a cool breeze, unaware that Tung standing beside her was trembling and bouncing on the balls of his feet in nervousness. The fireworks had died down while the people prepared the ones for midnight, only a few moments away.

"It's beautiful tonight, isn't it," the frog girl mused, keeping her gaze stuck on the star-covered sky. He stopped shaking for that brief moment, taking a chance to look up at her. Bream turned her head down to him, sharing a similar smile to the frog. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

"Bream," Tung began, turning his whole body to face her. She did the same, only her expression appeared anxious. "I…I've been really happy ever since you came. Before you I thought everyone made fun of the way I behave, the way I eat, pretty much everything. It took a lot of courage to finally start going out with you-"

"Tell me about it," she interrupted, a light chuckle in her tone. "It took you forever to get over your shyness and talk to me when I first joined."

"Yeah, well, hang on, don't…don't pressure me," he mumbled, resuming to bounce on his feet. The girl sent him a quizzical stare, and seeing no way to fix this, he sucked in a large gulp of air, feeling his legs trembling beneath him. "Okay…"

Slowly, he moved down to one knee, a smile spreading on his lips at the same rate as Bream's change of expression. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open.

"Like I said, you mean a lot to me, and I never want you to leave. We fit together like grilled cheese and bread, peanut butter and jelly, crickets and mayonnaise," Bream turned up her nose at the last analogy, but her face softened as he pulled a box out of his shorts. "There is one step before proposing, so I just want to say that this isn't an engagement ring. We agreed that our relationship is perfect the way it is, so this won't change much. It's just a promise…I promise we can keep until we're ready."

He lifted the lid, revealing a small ring holding a green gem in the centre. "It's a promise ring; I promise to marry you when we're both good and ready."

"Oh Tung," Bream sighed, her smile wider than the tracker had ever seen it. Her head moved slowly in a nod, holding out her left hand and splaying out her fingers as far as they could go with webbing. He pulled the ring out of the box and moved it gently on to her ring finger, his eyes mere slits behind his red goggles due to his giant smile. "Of course. I promise."

She grabbed him firmly by the shoulders, bending down and pulling him to her in a kiss. They parted with a loud pop, Tung blushing redder than ever. Below, an eruption of applause came echoing up to them, and, leaning over the railing, they saw all four balconies underneath them staring up at the now "partially-betrothed" couple, clapping loudly and cheering for them. Zap put his bottom lip between his teeth and whistled loudly, while Dex's cheer of "way to go, mate" sounded all the way up to them. Bream locked eyes with her father and his family, sharing a knowing, and happy smile as communication.

Dex turned back to the balcony, eying the sky before him.

"Here it is guys. Get ready to call in the new year."

* * *

10…

The new year was just on the horizon.

9…

The team at Hamilton Habitat were celebrating another successful year of protecting the world from giant alien insects.

8…

A lot had changed that past year.

7…

Relationships formed, new people met and different and exotic insects were discovered.

6…

The clones, and Zap's brother all watched the sky in anticipation, glad to finally have found the family they all had wanted.

5…

Threadfin glanced up at his daughter again, before looking to his new family. He pulled Marina close, laughing along with a bouncing Coral.

4…

Dex's eyes remained strong and determined, mirrored by the other four members of his family. He draped his arms over his father and his wife's, smiling amongst the home and family he had created.

3…

Jenny rested her head against Zap's shoulder, grinning as he took her hand in his. They both looked at the excited Max, wondering how they had become so lucky when they started with almost nothing at all.

2…

Tung smiled brightly at Bream, both lost in each other's eyes and presence. They turned and faced the city skyline one last time…just as the clock struck midnight.

1…

Fireworks of all different colours and shapes exploded all at once, illuminating everyone's faces as they oohed and aahed at the display. Fireworks spiralled, exploded and shot up in to the sky, painting the stars in bright colours as they spelt out their greeting.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

* * *

**And that is it. I can't believe I did it! What an amazing year; the year I started university, the year we said goodbye to many inspirational people (rest in peace Nelson Mandela), the year we were introduced to the new baby Prince, the year I said goodbye to one of my animals, the year I discovered my favourite fruit (passionfruit), and the year I completed this crazy challenge, which has been like writing in a diary every day for a year. Wow, this is so long the cursor is having trouble moving. All I can say is; resolutions are easy if they are realistic, and only if you are determined to stick by them will you achieve what you want. I bid you all a happy and healthy 2014. I know I'll be happy not having to worry about this deadline, but it is going to be sad not waking up to reviews every morning. Thanks to all who stuck around to review, it's been great meeting new friends on here and I'm glad you enjoyed this story. I'll be on DeviantArt posting the photo of my birthday card plus poor attempts of some of the characters, so come and say hi to me on there. New resolution…reread my entire story through the course of the new year! Now for you; tell me what was your favourite chapter/plot of the year? My favourite is April 3****rd**** "Junior's first roll" because the detail of that chapter astounds me. And now, for the final time…R&R!**


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